Bluenose Recipe : Bluenose Laksa

I still observe a lot of waste in the charter and rec scene. A classic example is kingfish and even hapuka heads being given to the cray guys as crayfish bait. What a waste…there is so much good protein and fat in the heads!

The last 5 days I did a little experiment to see how long my whanau could live off cooking three bluenose heads , frames and their wings. We honestly couldn’t get through it all and still gave away two heads to a worthy family.

I always try and send my clients back with the whole fish minus guts and gills and encourage them to try roasting the heads & frames. There is so much meat to pick out for fish cakes, curries, stocks, chowders, Laksas, fish balls, pates etc. Failing that I’ll use them myself or make a stock and pass it on.

The highlight was a banging Bluenose Laksa, here’s how:

BLUENOSE LAKSA

First of all I baked a four wings in a big roasting dish on 150 for 20 minutes w olive oil, cumin, turmeric, sprigs of Manuka from our native, lemon rhind, squeezed lemon, and the rest of the lemon laid on top with sprigs of thyme from the garden.

I pulled all the meat out and set aside.

I had premade a bluenose stock two days earlier from one of the heads. But you could take the juices and leftover bones from the wings and make a stock, with celery leaves, chopped carrot, garlic, ginger, chilli, tumeric, then sieve to a liquid. I usually roast the heads pre putting them in a stock pock to get all the goodness breaking down anyway.

For the laksa:

-Add coconut oil, celery, spring onion, lemongrass, chilli, tumeric, garlic and ginger in bottom of pan and sweat

-Add 3 cups of the gelatinous bluenose stock to heat until it turns to liquid

-Add tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

-Add can of coconut cream

-Add vermicelli noodles

-Finish by adding meat pre diced from the head and wings and a good couple of handfuls of fresh herbs

A dish like this using the whole fish is jam packed full of good Omega 3 , something your body cannot synthesise itself, and that many humans are deficient in. Essential food for good immunity, brain health and longevity.

It also uses predominantly fresh ingredients and the richness of a fresh stock, instead of overseas processed shrimp paste!

On the mission to get the kai above we could have caught many more fish, but stopped early in the day at three big bluenose. There was no point catching more. We fed our two families (and more), the fillets were all vac packed and snap frozen to savour over winter. And in the meantime the priority was eating fresh what many would throw away. The frame. The head. The wings.

The roes were smoked and I get to try that goodness tonight. Cant wait!