Confit of Hiramasa Kingfish, Brussel Sprout Leaves, Foie Gras and Rhubarb, Smokey Red Wine Sauce

With the arrival of the colder weather comes the humble brussel sprout. For me brussle sprouts meant one thing only, Christmas dinner. When I was young this was the only time I would eat them because I really didn't like them. However as I grew up I began to eat them more often until eventually I would look forward to there arrival. Here they are the garnish for one of the great fish of Australia, Hiramasa kingfish. I really like kingfish, its fantastic raw and can take meaty garnishes when cooked. Here I've confit the fish. I find sometimes that if you cook kingfish to aggressively the fish flavour becomes to strong, however with the confit the gentle cooking lets the fish retain its clean flavour. We saute the sprout leaves in a little butter and finish them with some ginger and lemon zest. The rhubarb is sugar/salt cured and the sharp flavour livens up the whole garnish. I wanted to add some crunch to the whole dish so we rolled the Foie gras in crushed macadamia nuts before the beignet batter. They are very easy to eat and very moreish with ther warm liquid centres, a bit like a ferrero rocher. The other good thing about the kingfish is that the bones make the most fantastic sauce. We added a little speck trimming to the reduction and a few drops of super smooth macadamia nut pure on the plate. The dish eats really well together with the rhubarb cutting nicely through all the rich fatty components. From turkey to kingfish, its funny how things change.

Tartare of W.A. Scampi and Hiramasa Kingfish, Heirloom Tomatoes, Cherries and Macadamias

This dish started life as an entree in the summer (Kingfish Carpaccio, Scampi Tartare, Tomato and Macadamia, Grain Mustard Dressing) and when we were writing the new Dega menu we thought we'd trim it down a little to include it as the first course. We removed the carpaccio and instead diced up the bellies of the kingfish and mixed them with the Scampi. The beautiful marbleing in the belly made the whole preparation a lot richer with a great mouth feel. The cherries and tomato go fantasticaly together and cut nicely through the fatiness of the kingfish. The grain mustard complements all the elements well. Finish with some winter purslane and red garnet and some microplaned macadamias and its a great dish of textures and flavours.