How to Make Beetroot-Cured Kingfish With a Former Tetsuya's Chef
A former Tetsuya's chef shows us what to do.
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Sydney-based Eat Art Truck was one of the first food trucks to really take off, with its American barbecue street food infused with fine dining, and bright, colourful trucks that feature the work of local artists. It's quality food, but instead of being artfully plated up on ceramics, the chefs lean down and hand you your meal in a paper tray.
Specialities on the menu are the eight-hour smoked pulled pork bun, the slow-roasted beef brisket bun and the crispy fried chicken bun. There are nachos, salads, fancier dishes like the kingfish entrée, and desserts like flourless chocolate cake. Once a month an artist will paint a piece on the side of the truck, and at the end of the month the piece is auctioned off for charity — so you get a serving of culture along with your fries.
Brenton Balicki, founding chef of Eat Art Truck, cooked us up a three-course feast last week to celebrate the launch of the KitchenAid Mini in Australia. All three courses were inspired by Brenton's work experience as a chef — he spent his formative chef years working at Tetsuya's and moved to Quay before becoming one of the founding chefs of Eat Art Truck. His professional background instilled in him the importance of good produce, so Brenton rode down to the Sydney Fish Markets and picked up the fresh fish, meat, vegetables he would be using.
The first course was a beautifully plated entree of beetroot-cured hiramasa kingfish — a dish that relies on quality produce above anything else. The second course was a classic Eat Art Truck burger. Brenton wouldn't give us the exact ingredients that he needed to make the patty, or the sauce (can't give away all Eat Art Truck's secrets) but there's enough there to make your version of their classic burger. The third course was a flourless, sugarless chocolate cake. He's given us his recipes so you can re-create them at home. Burgers for dinner tonight?
BEETROOT-CURED HIRAMASA KING FISH
INGREDIENTS
1 fillet of hiramasa kingfish
1 large beetroot
1 lemon
1 bunch baby radish
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
1 poached octopus
crème fraîche
rice wine vinegar
olive oil
METHOD
- Marinate the fish in grated beetroot, lemon zest, sugar and salt overnight. This will begin the curing process
- Wipe off marinade with paper towel and slice the fish as thinly as possible. Lay it out on the plate and decorate with thinly sliced octopus, baby herbs and thinly sliced radish
- Create a dressing with the vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Once you're happy with the presentation, dress the fish with plenty of the vinaigrette and finish with some crème fraîche and sea salt
EAT ART TRUCK BURGER
INGREDIENTS
3 of your favourite cuts of meat (ours are a secret)
your favourite sauces (also a secret)
your favourite bread — we used brioche
tomato
caramelised onion
lemon thyme
chorizo sausage
your favourite cheese — we used smoked cheddar
METHOD
- Dice your chosen meat into small cubes ready to be minced
- Use the KitchenAid Mini meat grinder attachment on the coarse setting so you have a unique texture. Add chopped thyme and mix everything together with hands thoroughly until everything is combined
- Heavily season the burgers and then begin grilling along with the chorizo and onions. Once you have everything cooked just the way you like it, begin building your custom burger just the way you like it
FLOURLESS, SUGARLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
5 egg whites
3 egg yolks with 2 whole eggs
1 block of your favourite chocolate
200g butter
200g almond meal
honey
seasonal fruits
ice cream
dulce De Leche
METHOD
- Melt the butter with the chocolate in bowl A. Use a KitchenAid Mini to whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs with the honey in bowl B.
- In bowl C, whisk the egg whites until firm
- Add the almond meal, bowl A and bowl B together and mix until smooth. Finish by folding in the egg whites from bowl C until a nice mixture forms
- Gently pour this into a non stick baking dish and cook at 160 degrees until firm in the centre
- Garnish with fruits, chopped nuts, dulce de leche, ice cream and some grated chocolate
Images: Samantha Hawker.
