I have a particular fascination with markets. Growing up, I would be my mom or dad's tail as they weave through the wet market. It wasn't too far away from our house, and it would be normal to go to the market daily (especially at the time when we didnt have a proper functioning fridge) or every other day just to get fresh meat or fish. The smells, the hustle and bustle, chaos and wet slushy floors in some areas, flowers, the piles of dried shrimp and stacks of dried goods in some shops... There is an energy that radiates from markets that draw me in and i can happily spend the day browsing through things, unusual ingredients, learning, sniffing, tasting whenever possible!
Anyway, Queen Vic market is especially awesome, especially the delis and their smoked meats and sausages. Not particularly cheap, but I think you get your money's worth with stuff that you buy there (or maybe I am just trying to convince myself, hehe). But the main business was fish, so we bought sashimi grade salmon and tuna and 2 moreton bay bugs for what would be a Saturday night Seafood Platter.
The salmon got the tea smoking treatment. I know you're probably thinking - sashimi grade salmon is best eaten as a sashimi, yeah? :) But the tea smoking process does not take very long and the center of the salmon is still very pink, yet it infuses the most amazing smoky flavor that lingers (both in the palate and in the kitchen - i mean the smoke. Hehe)
The kindling is made of rice, brown sugar, lemon verbena leaves (only because i have them and the leaves die in winter...), thyme and jasmine tea, on a bed of foil.
This foil sits on top of small frying pan. The pan is subjected to high heat, and a bamboo steamer placed on top.
The salmon was just seasoned with salt and pepper, and placed in the steamer lined with a small piece of baking paper.
This is a relatively big piece of salmon, and i usually would steam a 1.5inch wide darne of salmon in 7 minutes. These pieces are 2 inches wide and i still steamed them for 7 minutes. I only placed the bamboo steamer when the 'kindling' have started to emit a lot of smoke.
The moreton bay bugs had to be prepared by splitting them into two, the innards removed, and simpy brushed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper before being placed under the grill for around 12 minutes (or less depending on how big they are). You'll notice the translucent flesh turn white. It is best not to overcook them so that after grilling they are still nice and juicy.
Had to take out the big guns to halve this...Nothing like a cleaver to do the trick!
(i had 2 mushrooms with garlic, thyme and olive oil grilled as well)
The tuna was simply seared for a couple of seconds, both sides. A dipping sauce of soy sauce and wasabi was prepared accordingly.
I read somewhere that moreton bay bugs take on asian flavors very well, so using a toy i purchased from a tupperware night (!!!), i made a little salsa - blitzed a cheek of green mango, half a tomato, half a red onion, half a clove of garlic, olive oil and a couple of leaves of parsley. And a dash of fish sauce. Coriander leaves would have been very tasty too, but i have a lot of parsley! This was spooned over the bugs.
This toy is basically a manual mini food processor. You pull the white handle, and out comes a string which twirls the blade in the center.
What I also love about seafood dinners is that they are quick to whip up.
Sorry there was not enough patience to make the whole platter pretty.....Just wanted to eat the lot! And yes, for the record, this served two people.
Burp.
Previous tea smoking Here
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