Sauté Whitebait, Creamy Potato Mayonnaise, Nut Brown Butter and Lemon
One of only a few seasonal foods that are left, Whitebait brings out the hunter/gather instinct in us, whether used in the recipe below or the iconic fritter; they are without a doubt part of New Zealand’s culinary repertoire.
Ingredients
Sauté Whitebait
- 300gm whitebait
- ½ cup plain flour
- Freshly milled pepper
- Salt
- 150mls Rice bran oil
- 2 lemons
Creamy Potato Puree
- 500gms Agria or Ilam hardy potatoes
- 100mls extra virgin olive oil
- 2 egg yolks
- Salt
- Freshly milled pepper
Nut Brown Butter
- 100gms salted butter, (diced)
- ½ lemon juiced
Method
Cut potatoes into roughly 3 cm pieces and stem until cooked approximately 25 minutes.
Place the egg yolks in a food processor and pulse while streaming in the oil as you would when making mayonnaise. Add the potatoes gradually and process till you have a smooth puree. Correct consistency with a little warm milk if required. Season to taste and keep warm.
For the Nut Brown butter:
Place butter in a small fry pan and cook till a nut brown colour around 2 to 3 minutes remove from heat immediately and add lemon juice to arrest the cooking. Set the butter to one side in a warm place.
For the Whitebait
Toss in seasoned flour, place in a sieve and give a good shake to remove excess flour. Heat oil in a large fry pan and toss whitebait for 30 to 45 seconds no more.
To serve:
Spoon a little of the potato mayonnaise into the middle of each plate, drizzle around a little of the nut brown butter. Divide the whitebait between six plates and using a pair of tongues gently mound in the middle of the potato mayonnaise. Accompany with a wedge of lemon.
Peters Notes:
At Bracu we also accompany the whitebait with a few drops of soy balsamic. You can use parsnip puree, or celearic puree to replace the potato.
Suggested Wines to Go With Today's Recipe
Chardonnay:
Glazebrook Hawke’s Bay 2005
Maven Marlborough Reserve 2005
Herzog 2005
Jacobs Creek Reeves Point 2003