Name: Tua Tua fritters with tartare
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: Tartare sauce; 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise; 2 tablespoon finely chopped capers; 2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion; 1/4 tablespoon finely chopped gherkins; 1/4 cup finely chopped green capsicum; 2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill; 2 tablespoon wholegrain mustard; flaky sea salt; Fritters; 4 eggs (size 7); 1/3 cup self-raising flour; 2 tablespoon milk (optional); 500 gram steamed tuatua meat (about 2kg tuatuas); 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced; zest and juice 1 lemon; 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander; 1/4 cup torn fresh basil; 2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce; flaky sea salt; oil, for frying; 2 lemons, to serve

Tua Tua fritters with tartare

Definitely one of my favourite pastimes is digging for shellfish at low tide with my family. It’s a terrific way for the kids to connect with where their food comes from. They can help with the whole process; gathering, preparation, removing the meat from the shells and, of course, cooking the actual fritters. - Al Brown

Makes 36

Cook

20M

Ingredients

Tartare sauce

1 cup good-quality mayonnaise

2 tablespoon finely chopped capers

2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

1/4 tablespoon finely chopped gherkins

1/4 cup finely chopped green capsicum

2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped dill

2 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

flaky sea salt

Fritters

4 eggs (size 7)

1/3 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoon milk (optional)

500 gram steamed tuatua meat (about 2kg tuatuas)

1/3 cup red onion, finely diced

zest and juice 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

1/4 cup torn fresh basil

2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

flaky sea salt

oil, for frying

2 lemons, to serve

Method

Tartare sauce

1.To make the tartare sauce, place mayonnaise in a mixing bowl and add the capers, onion, gherkin, capsicum, parsley and dill.

2.Stir in the mustard until well combined. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

3.Cover and refrigerate until required.

Fritters

4.To make the fritters, whisk the eggs and flour together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. If the batter is too thick, loosen with a dash of milk. The consistency should be similar to golden syrup.

5.Chop the tuatua meat into a coarse mince with a knife or in a food processor. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the onion, lemon zest, 1½ Tbsp lemon juice, coriander, basil and sweet chilli sauce. Season to taste with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper then stir to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

6.When you are ready to cook, fold 1 cup of batter through tuatua mix.

7.Heat a skillet, or a barbecue flat plate, to medium heat and add a little cooking oil. When oil is hot, spoon in a small amount of fritter mix and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Check the consistency and seasoning and adjust if needed; add a little more batter if the fritter isn’t holding together. Repeat, cooking several fritters at once.

8.Serve fritters on a platter with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and tartare sauce on the side.

Wine match: Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé 2008 – With half its grapes chardonnay and the other half pinot noir, there are delicate hints of butteriness and tannin in this Champagne that make it a marvellous accompaniment for shellfish. Summerhouse Sauvignon Blanc 2015 – Aromas of gooseberry and guava introduce this softly textured sauvignon, with its subtle flavours of fresh-cut herbs, yellow capsicum and hints of tropical fruits giving it a very gently acidic mouthfeel. Have another one, the wine seems to be saying.
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