CRISP SKIN saltwater char
with Spiced Pork Crackling, Slow-Braised Abalone and Dashi Vinaigrette

SLOW-BRAISED ABALONE

500 g (18 oz) black-lip abalone

100 g (3½ oz) salt

50 g (1¾ oz) dried konbu seaweed

50 g (1¾ oz) dried bonito flakes

1.5 litres (3 pints) water

300 ml (10 fl oz) sake

100 ml (3½ fl oz) light soy sauce

60 ml (2 fl oz) mirin

30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, finely sliced

SPICED PORK CRACKLING

Aromatic Confit Salt

80 g (2¾ oz) Aromatic Confit Salt

4 tablespoons five-spice powder

300 g (10 oz) fatty pork skin

2 tablespoons non-scented cooking oil

50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

SALAD

1 bunch spring onions

1 cup Thai basil leaves

1 cup Vietnamese mint leaves

¾ cup samphire (sea asparagus)

Make sure you choose a piece of pork skin with plenty of fat for the spiced crackling. Fat absorbs the marinade better than the skin, and during the cooking it puffs up in the pan to make crackling that is delectably tasty, crisp and light.

The abalone is braised very slowly in a fragrant dashi stock, and ends up buttery-soft and full of flavour. The aromatic stock is then used for the vinaigrette.

TO BRAISE THE ABALONE, remove the meat from its shell and discard all the innards. Rub the flesh thoroughly with salt to clean it then immediately rinse well under cold running water and pat dry.

TO MAKE THE DASHI STOCK, put the konbu, bonito and water in a large saucepan and heat to 80°C (175°F). Infuse for 30 minutes then strain through a chinois or fine sieve. Discard the solids and place the stock back in the saucepan.

Add the sake, soy sauce, mirin and ginger to the pan and place it back on the heat. Add the abalone, and cook at a steady 80°C (175°F) for 6 hours.

Remove the abalone from the pan, reserving the poaching stock, and refrigerate until cold and set – this will make it easier to slice.

Use a very sharp knife to slice the abalone into very fine slivers and put in a shallow dish. Strain the dashi stock, and set aside 300 ml (10 fl oz) to make the vinaigrette. Pour the rest over the abalone and leave to marinate until ready to serve.

TO MAKE THE SPICED PORK CRACKLING, mix the aromatic salt with 2 tablespoons of the five-spice powder and massage it well into the pork skin and fat. Leave for at least 2 hours for the flavours to infuse.

Thoroughly brush the salt off and slice into 5 mm (¼ in) slivers. Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat and add the oil. Sprinkle in the slivers of pork skin and move around in the pan for a few minutes until they start to crisp. Add the butter and heat to a nutbrown foam. Continue to cook the crackling slivers until they turn golden brown, crisp and puffy. Drain on kitchen paper.

Mix together the salt, sugar and remaining five-spice powder. Sprinkle over the crackling while still warm.

PREPARE THE SALAD by finely slicing the spring onions and putting them into a mixing bowl with the herbs.

Blanch the samphire in rapidly boiling water for 45 seconds and refresh in iced water. Drain well and add to the salad.