Humphead Wrasse with Fennel Salad

I bought a kilogram of frozen Humphead Wrasse at the airport in Sabah, Borneo. I was intrigued to find out how it tastes like. The fish was seasoned with salt, pepper and tumeric, dusted with flour and then pan fried in a nonstick skillet. As it turned out, the meat was firm, between that of monkfish and grouper.

Firm white fish and fennel is a classic combination. Here, I made the baby fennel salad with a mandoline grater, seasoned it with orange juice, white wine vinegar and olive oil. I added a few crunchy baby tomatoes. For the sauce, I used lemon juice, mirin, chilli, garlic, and soy sauce to give it a tangy hot and sour flavour.

Suquet de Mero con Almejas

This is a Catalan fish stew that I picked up from Jose Andres. His recipe uses Scorpion fish which is not available here. I replace it with golden grouper which has a tasty, firm, white fresh. The stock is prepared from fresh fishes, shells of prawns, celery, carrot, onions and garlic. I added a few slices of ginger to remove the fishiness.

For the stew, diced, parboiled russet potato is sauteed in olive oil before adding tomato pulp, a pinch of saffron, sugar and pimenton (Spanish smoke paprika). Strained stock is then added to the pot, just enough to cover the slice of fish and cook for about five minutes. The clams are then added.

Mash a garlic clove with salt, parsley and a piece of potato from the stew and add to the pot. Serve.

Sardine Bruschetta

It is rare to find fresh sardines in the tropics. When I saw them in the market, I wasted no time in taking away 2.5 kilos of the delicate fish. For the sardines, I use a Japanese marinate made from mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar. The fish is lightly powdered with plain flour, then pan fried in medium heat in a non stick pan. Layer and layer of the marinate is applied until the skin appear to have a shiny glaze.


It is easy to debone sardine. Once the head and guts are removed, use a paring knife to free up on half of the meat from the bone. When the bone is exposed, you can lift it up with your fingers and pulling slowing towards the tail end.

Golden Snapper with Sweet Miso

The roasted aroma from a miso coated fish is mouth-watering. Here, the marinade is a paste made of sweet miso, mirin and wine (I used shaoxing wine instead of sake). The fish fillet is coated with the paste and left in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. It is then wiped off and grilled without oil until the skin is crisp. For the sauce, I reserved a tablespoon of the miso paste and add rice vinegar to taste.

Sage and Mint Oil, Hisbiscus Salt, Salmon Sashimi

I am used to eating sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce pairing. I want to try something different. The method of making the sage oil comes from Thomas Keller's French Laundry cook book. I infused the sage oil with mint and it gives it a rich deep, green colour. The mint replaces the wasabi and gives it a different form of ahi. The oil is prepared at least 24 hours ahead to get the maximum flavour. The hisbicus is an edible flower. Hibiscus salt is often used in middle eastern cooking. Here I use the dried Hisbiscus Roselle (aka Hibiscus sabdariffa) and pound them in a mortar with Himalayan rock salt.

Whole Sole with Green Curry

The inspiration for this dish came from a recipe where fried calamari is served with red curry. I decided to try fish with green curry sauce. Instead of cooking a fish curry, where the fish is cooked in the curry, I pan fried the whole fish and topped it with green curry sauce instead. The fish is firmer and has more texture. For the curry, I used a mix of Thai and Indian spices, which include fennel, coriander, cumin, black and green cardamon, star anise, cloves, galangal, lemon grass, garlic, green chilli, onion, fresh celery leaves, basil and of course, yoghurt.

Lenguado con Mayonesa de Wasabi y Mango

My good friend, Andy, invited me to a restaurant where they served shrimp with wasabi sauce. That gave me the inspiration for this dish. I made my own wasabi mayonnaise so that I can control its flavour and heat. Unlike Dover sole, the local variety is more delicate, so I pan fried it over a low heat. The sweet diced mango and its luscious puree temper the pungent taste of wasabi. The grilled red pepper adds texture and bite and blends well with the fish which is seasoned with Himalayan rock salt.

Swordfish with Salsa Verde and Spiced Potatoes

I like the firm texture and full flavour of the seared swordfish. Do not overcook as the fish has to be moist to taste at it best. It blends well with the salsa verde and lemon. For the vegetable, I use cumin, coriander, tumeric, green chilli and nigella seeds to give it an exotic twist.

Burrida alla Cabrarese

Stingray with saffron, sultanas and tomatoes

I picked up this recipe from one of Rick Stein's books. It originates from Sardinia. Most stingray dishes are spicy hot in South East Asia. This dish has an unsual flavour from the tomatoes, sultanas and capers, and I find it quite special.