Pacific Island Living Issue 23

Christiana cooks

Gone fishing!from

harvest ea the s

Food Editor, Christiana Kaluscha says …

“All the sights, sounds and smells associated with seafood entrance me in different ways, they all mean my favourite place – the Pacific, with its galaxy of islands and coral atolls.”

Christiana displays the day’s crustacean catch (above), while Martine (above right) shows off a beautifully blue parrot fish, perfect for

H

aving been a sea gypsy, living on my yacht and cruising the oceans for many years, I made sure the fishing line was always out when we were sailing.

Whether tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi, kingfish or other species, fresh fish was always welcome.

I especially enjoyed the times we spent anchored at remote coral atolls and islands. Nearly every day I would disappear for hours equipped with my spear gun, roaming the pristine waters for fish, lobster or octopus. Other days we would wade the reefs at low tide in search of shellfish, snails, crabs, sea urchins and crayfish. Whatever the catch was, I transformed it into a delicious meal. We would then eat it raw or marinated

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with lime juice, cooked with spices and coconut milk, grilled over a fire or baked in the oven.

If the catch was too big during long ocean passages, leftovers were cured with salt and hung on deck to dry in the sun and wind. Nothing would be wasted – you never know what the next day will bring.

I am a landlubber now but live right on the ocean in Vanuatu.

Cooking, especially with seafood, is still my passion. A lot of the species are available here, either at the fishmonger, early morning at the local market or directly from the sea, just in front of my doorstep.

I’d like to share some recipes with you and hope you will

Tangy Marinated Fish Salad (serves 4) ingredients

• 400g white fish fillets (parrot fish, whiting, snapper or other fine fleshed fish) • ½ cup rice vinegar • ½ cup lime juice • 1 red onion, very thinly sliced • 4 Tsp caster sugar • 2 Tsp sea salt • 1 heaped Tbsp minced mint • 1 heaped Tbsp coriander • 1 chilli, seeded and minced • 1 Tbsp minced ginger • 1 Tbsp crisp fried shallots • 3 Tbsp crushed roasted peanuts • 2 Green tomatoes or grapefruit • Coriander for garnish

method

marinated fish salad with mint and coriander.

• Wash and dry fish fillets and cut into 1 cm thick by 5 cm long slices • Place fish in a bowl and cover with the vinegar and lime juice. Mix and marinate for 1 hour.

• After 30 minutes, put the onion slices in a separate bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and 1 tsp of sea salt and massage everything into the onions using your fingers.

• Marinate for 30 minutes • After fish has marinated 1 hour, transfer to a sieve and rinse briefly under water. Pat dry with paper towel and move to a bowl.

• Squeeze the onions to remove as much liquid as possible. Combine the onion, fish, 1 tsp of sea salt, mint, coriander, ginger, chilli, peanuts and shallots and mix well.

• Garnish with green tomato cut into slices, or peeled grapefruit slices and coriander leaves.

enjoy preparing and eating them with family and friends as much as I do.

Vanuatu culinary maven

Christiana Kaluscha is renowned after 25 years in Vanuatu as a culinary maven and proprietor of Paua Management and consultancy which operates as a an agent for holiday rentals in high-end villas in the Whitesands area of Efaté. She is happy to provide a ‘concierge’ service to clients and recommend dining and produce options to holidaymakers, as well as table d’hôte dinners for eight or more diners. See www.paua.com for booking details as well as real estate opportunities.

islandliving | 81 pacific

A seafood stew with an exotic provenance, this Moqueca de Bahia originates in the archipelago of Los Roques in Venezuela.

Pacific Tuna Tartare (serves 4) ingredients

• 1 Tsp peeled and finely diced fresh ginger • ¼ cup peanut or sunflower oil • 500g sushi-quality tuna fillet • 1 Tbsp plus 2 Tsp thinly sliced fresh coriander • 1 jalapeno chilli, seeded and finely diced • 1 Tsp wasabi powder • 1 Tsp toasted sesame seeds • 1 Tbsp finely diced red onion • 2 Tsp fresh lime juice, plus ½ a lime • Pinch of sea salt • Freshly ground white pepper to taste • 1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ cm dice.

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• 20 manioc chips

method

• Combine the ginger and oil in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Strain.

• Cut tuna into tiny dice (no bigger than 1 cm), put in a mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate. You can prepare this up to five hours ahead.

• No more than 30 minutes before serving, mix 1 tablespoon of coriander along with the jalapeno chilli, wasabi, sesame seeds, red onion, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 4 teaspoons of the ginger oil and add to tuna. Season with salt

and pepper.

• To serve: Place a round mould (5cm in diameter and 2.5 cm high) in the centre of each plate. Fill the mould with the mixture, pressing it gently so the tuna is even and compact.

Lift off the mould.

• Drizzle the remaining oil on the plates around the tartare.

Sprinkle the tomato over the oil, then sprinkle some salt and the remaining coriander over the tomato. Squeeze a little lime or lemon juice over the garnish.

Stand 5 manioc chips up on their sides in each tartare, arranging them in a circle.

Serve immediately.

“Other days we would wade the reefs at low tide in search of shellfish, snails, crabs, sea urchins and crayfish.”

Moqueca de Bahia - Brazilian Seafood Stew (serves 4) I first encountered this dish cruising in the archipelago of Los Roques in Venezuela. My South American friend Lucretia prepared it for us on board. It is delicious and easy to prepare! I have been a devotee ever since.

The waters of these remote islands were full of fish and lobsters and a new recipe was always welcome.

Moqueca is a seafood stew with the fresh flavours of lime and coconut and finished with Brazil’s favourite dendê oil (optional).

ingredients

• ½ kg of white fish fillets (cod, snapper, wahoo), cut into small medallions • ½ kg of green prawns (peeled and deveined) or raw lobster tail (cut into chunks) • Juice of 2 limes • 1 Tbsp of white vinegar • 1 onion, sliced • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed • 1 Tbsp tomato paste • 1 Tsp sea salt • 1 red or yellow capsicum, cored, seeded, deveined and sliced into rings • 5 medium size tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

• 1 Tbsp grated ginger • 5 chillies, medium hot, chopped • 1 cup fish stock • 2 - 3 Tbsp dendê oil (optional) • 1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced • 1 bunch of coriander, chopped • 1 cup of thin coconut milk • 1 cup of thick coconut milk • Black pepper and salt to taste

method

• Make a marinade with the lime juice, onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, vinegar and salt.

• Marinate the fish and prawns or lobster for 30 minutes.

• Put mixture into a saucepan and add ½ the coriander, tomatoes, tomato paste, capsicum and black pepper to taste.

• Add fish stock and thin coconut milk and cook over low heat until the prawns or lobster and fish are just cooked (3 - 4 min) • Add the thick coconut milk, bring to the boil, and immediately remove from the heat, add the dendê oil, cover and let stand for 5 -10 minutes.

• Decorate with remaining coriander and serve with rice.

“I am a landlubber now but live right on the ocean in Vanuatu. Cooking, especially with seafood, is still my passion.”

Christiana at the Teouma prawn farm in Vanuatu.

Left: the makings of a delicious, freshTuna Tartare.

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