I am very lucky to have discovered many different countries and cultures. It’s given me a real appreciation for spices and flavours from all over the world. I am extremely fond of Asian influences, particularly after living in Hong Kong for a year. Although not always easy to replicate at home; here is a simple raw fish recipe with an Asian twist.

Asian style stone-bass

Marinade for 1kg of filleted fish

  • 250g sea salt
  • 250g fine salt
  • 200g sugar
  • 15g juniper berries
  • 15g black pepper
  • 2 fillets of stone bass
  • 1 small red chilli (if you like the heat)
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1/2 garlic clove
  • The zest of a lime
  • 1/2 bunch of coriander
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1tsp. mustard
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 bunch of salad cress
  • Small salad leaves and fresh herbs to accompany

Method:

  1. Using a food processor, blitz the juniper berries, black pepper together with the sea salt, fine salt and sugar.
  2. Cover your deboned fillets of stone bass with the blitzed ingredients and add sugar and spices, and leave to marinate for 24 hours in the fridge. This will season and harden the flesh making it easier to slice.
  3. Rinse the fillets of fish and dry them before using.
  4. Chop half the garlic clove and the red chilli very finely. Add them to a small bowl with the mustard and honey. Drizzle in the oils and the soya sauce to create an Asian vinaigrette.
  5. Slice the fish thinly and spread out on a plate. Scatter the chopped spring onions, salad cress and the zest of a lime amongst the delicate slices of fish.
  6. Finally, douse with your Asian dressing. To add a bit of glamor you can add a little caviar or lump fish eggs.
  7. Best served with a fresh salad and mixed herbs.

To accompany these bold flavours I would suggest a dry Sémillon-Sauvignon blend from the south west of France. The Fleur du Thénac 2012 is refreshing and crisp, perfect for this spicy dish. An exceptional wine at a reasonable price.

For a fruitier wine that still respects the purity of the raw fish I would advise the Domaine J. Sautereau, Crézancy-en-Sancerre 2014. This refined wine provides heaps of minerality resembling a high quality Riesling.

If you are looking for a wine with a little more maturity a Chablis Grand Cru 2009 from the Domaine Long-Depaquit La Moutonne Monopole is unavoidable. A powerfully flavoured white wine with an exotic twist. With lemon acidity throughout resembling the fruitiness given by the lime zests.

Wines to drink with Gateau de Savoie by Michel Roux Jr.

Fleur du Thénac, 2012 – With beautifully floral notes, this fresh and crisp white works so beautifully with the clean flavours of the stone bass. It is an elegant wine which balances well with the confident flavours of the marinade and dressing.

RRP: £12.00 Berry Bros and Rudd

Domaine J. Sautereau, Crézancy-en- Sancerre, 2014 – This bold and refined wine is intense with fruity and citrusy flavours. The freshness and cleanliness of the wine compliments the clean flavours of the fish and Asian marinade.

RRP: £14.95 Berry Bros and Rudd

Chablis Grand Cru, 2009 – Zesty and round, this full bodied white has a fruitness and a tang that works perfectly with the dish. A little pricier than the other wines, but makes a real impression on this simple, yet flavourful dish.

RRP: £62.00 Millesima

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.