Sashimi with wasabi salad and mandarin ponzu dressing

This dish is a take on the timelessly classic pairing of sashimi and wasabi. Balancing traditional Japanese flavours with the tart sweetness of mandarin, the bitterness of the radicchio and the kick of the fresh wasabi. Other citrus fruits can be used in place of the mandarin, such as grapefruit or orange but try to find something with a little sweetness to balance the dish. The key to this dish is finding high quality fresh fish. Speak to your local fishmonger to see what is best on the day.

Recipe by Jonny McCoy

Serves 4

Ingredients

Salad
1 avocado
1 tsp shoyu
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Shima wasabi powder
1 mandarin (Honey Murcott or Afourer is best)
300g raw fish, such as responsibly caught tuna, kingfish or locally caught fresh fish
1 small radicchio or a bunch of young bitter leaves
Furikake*
1 fresh Shima wasabi stem
Sea salt and pepper

Ponzu dressing
200ml dashi stock (kombu seaweed and katsuobushi steeped in hot, not boiling water for 30 mins and strained) or 100ml fish sauce
100ml quality Japanese shoyu or light soy sauce
50ml mandarin juice
50ml mirin, or medium sweet sherry
Optional: mandarin zest and grated ginger

Method

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, season to taste and set aside.
2. Slice fish into thin strips and set aside.
3. Peel mandarin and remove as much pith as possible. Break into segments and dice. 
4. Blend avocado, shoyu, olive oil, lemon juice, a teaspoon of wasabi powder and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a blender. Taste and add more wasabi powder to your liking, and adjust with salt and lemon if necessary. 
5. Break radicchio into small leaves, tear up any bigger leaves into small pieces. Place into a large mixing bowl and add sliced fish and diced mandarin. Dress with shoyu dressing and mix with hands to coat everything. Set aside for 2-5 minutes.
6. Spread the avocado and wasabi puree into the bottom of a large shallow bowl (or small plates for individual servings). Using your hands or tongs, lay salad over the top of the puree.
7. Finish with a sprinkling of furikake seasoning and freshly grated wasabi stem over the top.

Notes:
*Furikake is a Japanese seasoning with roasted and puffed rice, sesame seed, dried citrus zest and nori seaweed, available from most Asian supermarkets