Strawberry Gum + Pepperberry Cured Fish for your festive feast.

Choosing your fish.

Chef Jen suggests a sustainable fish choice like snapper, kingfish, king salmon or Murray cod (which we've used here). Ocean trout and salmon are also good choices, although not often sustainable ones.

Step 1.

Place your trimmed, deboned fish skin-side down in a non reactive dish.

Step 2.

Place the curing salt in a small bowl. To cure one side of fish, use half of your Strawberry Gum + Pepperberry Curing Salt, or for two sides of fish, use the whole lot.

Gradually add gin or vodka (or lemon/lime/fruit juice, for a booze-free alternative), mixing until you have a consistency like wet sand - this is called a slurry.

Step 3.

Spread your slurry evenly over the flesh side of your fish. Cover and place in the fridge - overnight is best, or for a few hours minimum.

The longer you leave your fish, the more 'cured' it will be, so it depends on your personal preference - less curing time will be more sushi-like, more curing time will be more fish-pastrami-like.

Step 4

When your fish is cured to your liking, remove from the fridge, rinse the cure off and pat dry with paper towel. It will now be a beautiful, mottled purple colour.

Place your fish on a board and, starting at the thicker end (not the tail end), using a very sharp knife, thinly slice the fish down at a slight angle and off the skin.

Continue until the whole side is sliced - or, if you don’t require the whole amount, you can wrap up the unsliced portion in a damp tea towel or cling wrap and put it back in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Step 5

Serve immediately with your chosen accompaniments - for this recipe, we've recommended some creme fraiche mixed with our Blak Cede Citrus Salt, and some fresh finger lime or a squeeze of lemon/lime juice.

Accompany with pickles, crackers, lavosh, crusty bread, blini - the possibilities are endless!

Using your Seasonal Spices Set

To create an entire festive feast using our Seasonal Spices kit:

Blak Cede Citrus Salt

• Serve up a deliciously zesty margarita, dipping the rim of your glasses into our beautiful Blak Cede Citrus Salt (which is also a great way to season your morning Bloody Mary!).
• Score the flesh of half a butternut pumpkin with a diamond pattern (not through the skin). Place some butter in the hole of the pumpkin and add a generous sprinkle of the Citrus Salt, a pinch of raw sugar and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic. As the pumpkin roasts in the oven, spoon the melted butter mixture over the whole pumpkin and bake until it’s caramelised and tender.
• Use the Citrus Salt to season blanched green beans or other green veg - just cook lightly, toss with some butter or olive oil, and a pinch of Citrus Salt. Perfection in simplicity.

Native Spiced Dukkah

• Toss green beans with some butter and a sprinkle of our Native Spiced Dukkah.
• Season your holiday stuffing to add a spicy depth to the dish. Or, if you roast some stuffing in its own dish, scatter the dukkah generously on top, drizzle with olive oil or dot with butter, and bake for a fragrantly crunchy crust.

Citrus Salt + Dukkah

• These guys are excellent when mixed with butter to jazz up your garlic bread - either separately, or together.
• Prepare a salad with fresh mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes and loads of herbs. Dress it with a vinaigrette of lemon, citrus salt and olive oil, and sprinkle with some Dukkah once plated.

Festive Spiced Hazelnut Bikkies

• Keep it simple and dip into a nice, hot cuppa at the end of the night (or a cheeky glass of liqueur!).
• Crumble them over a bowl of ice cream, adding some berries or mango if you fancy a fresh finish.
• Kick it up a notch and make an epic affogato with a decadent vanilla ice cream, a shot of espresso and one of our little Bikkies.