Seared wahoo, snake beans and green papaya salad

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 bunch snake beans, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 6 wahoo steaks, about 200 g each
• 1 tbsp smoked sea salt
• 200 ml olive oil
• 100 g butter
• 1 lime, juiced
• baby mustard cress, to serve

Soubise

• 4 red onions, chopped
• 100 ml pouring cream
• 200 ml Riesling
• salt

Papaya salad

• 1 green but mature papaya, peeled
• 2 bird’s-eye chillies
• 1 tbsp brown or palm sugar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50 ml fish sauce
• 1 lime, juiced

Instructions

To make the soubise, place the onions, cream, wine and a pinch of salt in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until pulpy. You will need to stir the mixture every 5 minutes to prevent it sticking and burning. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

Meanwhile, drop the beans in a saucepan of salted boiling water and return to the boil. Drain and refresh in iced water, then drain again.

To make the papaya salad, using a knife or zester, cut the papaya into long strips. Place the chilli, sugar, garlic and fish sauce in a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse paste. Add the lime juice and adjust with a little more fish sauce if necessary. Just before serving, add the dressing to the papaya and toss to combine.

To cook the fish, season the fillets with a little of the smoked sea salt. Place a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the oil and sprinkle the rest of the salt into the pan. Once the oil is hot, gently place the fish in the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. You may need to turn the heat down a little if the oil gets too hot. Remove the fish from the pan and drain on paper towel.

Drain the oil from the pan, then add the butter and return to medium heat. Add the snake beans, lime juice and a little water and shake the pan until the sauce emulsifies, then remove from the heat.

To serve, place a little soubise on the plates, then place a line of drained snake beans on the top. Drape the fish over the beans and top with the papaya salad. Garnish with baby mustard cress and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.