Kaikoura Crayfish Laksa, Baby Golden Beetroot, Kohlrabi and Orange Gel

Kaikoura Crayfish Laksa with baby golden beetroot, Kohlrabi and orange gel

(prawns are a great substitue for crayfish)

Serves 6
 
 
Ingredients:
 
 
Crayfish
3 Crayfish, each weighing 500g Hapuku olive oil
60g of butter
salt
20ml of lemon juice
 
 
Laksa Sauce
1 shallot 1/2 fennel 5g of ginger
1 lemongrass
1 garlic clove
1 tomato
10g of macadamia nuts, toasted 1 tsp paprika
75ml of coconut milk
1L shellfish stock, preferably crayfish 1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder 2 kaffir lime leaves
10g of coriander leaves
 
 
Pickled Baby Golden Beetroot
250ml of white wine vinegar 250g of sugar
3 black peppercorns
3 coriander seeds
3 fennel seeds
1 spring of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove
6 baby golden beetroots salt
Orange Gel
5 oranges
6g of agar agar
 
 
Plating
1 kohlrabi
1 handful of baby coriander

METHOD
 
1  - Preheat a water bath to 90°C
 
 
2  - To prepare the beetroots for the pickle, place them in a vacuum bag with a little salt and seal. Cook for 40 minutes then leave to cool in the bag
 
-6 baby golden beetroot
-Salt
 
 
3  - Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients together in a pan to form a pickling mixture and bring to the boil, simmering for 4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool, then pass through a fine sieve.

Slice the beetroot thinly on a mandolin and transfer to a jar or container, pouring over
the pickle mixture to cover. Seal and store for at least 1 hour at room temperature
 
 
-  1 garlic clove
-  250ml of white wine vinegar
-  250g of sugar
-  3 black peppercorns
-  3 coriander seeds
-  3 fennel seeds
 
-  1 sprig of thyme
-  1 bay leaf
-  75ml of coconut milk
 
 
4  - Preheat a water bath to 50°C

5  - Kill the crayfish by driving a large knife through the cross in the centre of the head. Blanch the whole crayfish in boiling salted water for 25 seconds. Refresh immediately in iced water and refrigerating until required
-  3 crayfish, each weighing 500g

6  - Meanwhile, make the laksa. Peel and thinly chop the shallots, garlic, ginger, and fennel, and gently sweat in a saucepan with a little oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt, then add the tomatoes to the pan and mix well.
-  1 tomato
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 fennel
- 5g of ginger
-  1 lemongrass
-  1 garlic clove
 
7  - Add the spices and macadamia nuts to the pan and cook them out for around 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and crayfish stock and stir well to combine. Bring the laksa to a simmer, then transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan and add the coriander and kaffir, leaving for 30 minutes to infuse.
 
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp curry powder
-  10g of coriander leaves
-  2 kaffir lime leaves
-  1l shellfish stock, preferably crayfish
-  10g of macadamia nuts, toasted
 
 
8  - For the orange gel, peel the zest from the oranges, being careful not to get any pith, then cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Carefully blanch the orange peel in boiling water for two minutes and refresh in iced water, repeating this process 4 times
 
- 5 oranges

9  - Add the blanched orange peeling to the juice and blitz in a blender until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve and weigh out 500g of juice. Whisking continuously, combine the juice with the agar agar in a pan and bring to the boil, allowing to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a tray to set
 
-  6g of agar agar
 
10  - Once the orange juice has set, transfer to a blender and blitz until mixture forms a smooth gel. Pass through a fine sieve and reserve in a piping bag or squeeze bottle ready to serve.
 
 
11  - Preheat a water bath to 55C
 
 
12  - Twist off crayfish tails. Use scissors to cut down the back of the crayfish tails to remove from the shell and place the crayfish on a kitchen towel to dry, removing the crayfish intestinal tracks.
 
 
13  - Place a frying pan over a high heat with a little oil. Once hot, season the crayfish with salt and place upside down into the pan. Sear it until caramelized, then turn over and add butter and squeeze of lemon juice
 
-  20ml of lemon juice
-  Hapuku olive oil
-  60g of butter
-  salt
 
 
14  - Leave to cool then place the crayfish in a vacuum bag with the juices from the pan. Seal and place into the water bath to cook for 10 minutes
 
 
15  - Pass the infused laksa through a fine sieve and gently reheat in the pan. Meanwhile, thinly slice the kohlrabi on the mandolin and cut out even discs using a 3cm cutter
 
-  1 kohlrabi

16  - To serve, slice the crayfish tails into pieces and divide amongst the plates. Pipe dots of orange gel onto each piece of crayfish and arrange the pickled baby golden beetroot and kohlrabi discs around the plate. Pour over the warm laksa and garnish with baby coriander.
 
-  1 handful of baby coriander