Kai moana with kawakawa crème sauce

Tamara West

I really enjoy cooking with fresh aromatic and peppery kawakawa leaves. Kawakawa is a hardy shrub with heart- shaped dark green leaves. It likes the shade and can be found commonly along the coast and in some suburban gardens. If you can’t find fresh kawakawa, replace it with fresh sage and oregano.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
½ cup	Onions, finely chopped
2 cloves	Garlic, grated
12	Mussels, use green lipped mussels, scrubbed with beards removed (Main)
20	Cockles, rinsed (Main)
½ cup	Dry white wine
1 cup	Cream
2 Tbsp	Rice bran oil
2	John dory fillets (Main)
2	Snapper fillets (Main)
½ tsp	Salt
2 Tbsp	Kawakawa, finely chopped
1 Tbsp	Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and stir occasionally until tender.
2. Turn heat up to high, add mussels, cockles and wine, cover and stir occasionally until shellfish open. Remove shellfish with tongs and keep warm on the side.
3. Boil cooking juices until they reduce by half. Add the cream, bring back to the boil and reduce until the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Meanwhile heat the rice bran oil in a large frying pan. Cut the fish fillets into 8 even pieces, lightly season with salt then cook on a high heat until fillets are just cooked, about two minutes on each side.
5. Add the fresh herbs to the cream sauce. Arrange shellfish, john dory and snapper in a warmed bowl or platter and pour over the hot sauce.