Charred Bonito with Achara Salad

Charred Bonito with Achara Salad

• 200g piece sashimi grade Bonito, skin on, and cut into 4 equal pieces
• 100g sea grapes, picked (see note)
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 2 small red onions, finely diced
• Soy sauce, to serve

Achara

• 500ml (2 cups) chilli cane vinegar
• 500g sugar
• 1 clove garlic, blanched and crushed
• 1 small daikon, peeled and cut into julienne
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
• 1 small green pawpaw, peeled and cut into julienne
• 4 long red chillies, seeded and cut into julienne
• 50g ginger, peeled and cut into julienne

Vinaigrette

• 10 Calamansi lemons, juiced and strained (see note)
• 80ml (⅓ cup) rice wine
• 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 2 tbs sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Place the fish, skin-side up, on an oven tray and place a lightly oiled cake rack on top of the fish.
2. Using a domestic blowtorch, sear the skin for 10 seconds or until the skin has been just marked.
3. Remove the cake rack and refrigerate the fish until needed. 
4. For the achara, place the chilli vinegar and the sugar in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and remove from heat.
5. Cool, then add the blanched and crushed garlic clove.
6. Add all the remaining ingredients, combine well and stand for at least 10 minutes.
7. Drain and refrigerate until ready to serve.
8. Combine the sea grapes, tomato and onion in a bowl and set aside.
9. To make the vinaigrette, place all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and combine well.
10. To serve, thinly slice the fish and arrange on plates.
11. Sprinkle the sea grape salad over the top and serve the achara separately with soy sauce.

Note: Calamansi are a citrus fruit similar to lemons and are widely used in the Philippines. You can substitute with lemons.
Sea grapes are a type of seaweed that forms in clumps that look like a bunch of grapes.