Tataki is a Japanese technique of making ready fish or meat. The protein is seared solely on the skin after which served sliced with an acidic dressing. The most typical variations are tuna and beef. Final 12 months in the course of the wine journey in Australia, I had kangaroo tataki and preferred it very a lot. Kangaroo fillet may be very nicely suited to this prepartion, because the meat may be very tender and flavorful. In case you can’t discover kangaroo, you might additionally use venison backstrap for a really comparable impact.
Ponzu is a citrus-based dressing that must be made with a Japanese citrus fruit like yuzu. But when yuzu shouldn’t be obtainable, a mix of lemon and lime juice is an effective subtitute. The basic recipe consists of rice vinegar, darkish soy sauce, tamari sauce, mirin, dried bonito flakes, and konbu. For this dish I’ve used a simplified recipe that doesn’t embody the bonito and konbu. (Curiously sufficient, the phrase ponzu is derived from the Dutch phrase pons, now out of date, that means punch.)
Elements
Serves 4 as an appetizer
- 225 grams (.5 lb) kangaroo fillet
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 Tbsp sliced scallions, inexperienced half solely, soaked in ice water
- salt
- impartial vegetable oil
Directions
Season the kangaroo fillet with salt, cowl, and refrigerate for not less than one hour to permit the salt to penetrate into the meat.
Slice the inexperienced a part of the scallions, and soak in ice water to crisp them up.
When the salt has had the possibility to penetrate into the kangaroo fillet, pat it dry with paper towels.
Sear the kangaroo fillet briefly an all sides over very excessive warmth in impartial vegetable oil.
Enable the kangaroo fillet to chill earlier than slicing (first to room temperature after which within the fridge).
Within the meantime, make the Ponzu sauce, by heating 1 tablespoon of sake and a couple of teaspoons of mirin till lowered by half, to burn off the alcohol.
Take this off the warmth, then add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice. Stir to combine.
Slice the kangaroo fillet thinly towards the grain.
The meat must be uncommon on the within.
Drain the scallions, and pat them dry with paper towels.
Prepare the slices of kangaroo on dishes with an acceptable form to carry the ponzu dressing. Pour the ponzu dressing on high, and garnish with the scallions.
Wine pairing
At wine pairing dinners at my home, we tried this dish with the next wines:
- Ippolito 1845 Calabria Pecorello 2023 (100% Pecorello, Calabria, Italy): glorious pairing
- Vidal-Fleury Condrieu 2020 (100% Viognier, Rhone, France): glorious pairing
- Librandi Segno Librandi Cirò Rosato 2023 (100% Gaglioppo, Calabria, Italy): glorious pairing
- Big Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2022 (100% Pinot Noir, Victoria, Australia): glorious pairing
- Shaw + Smith Lenswood Pinot Noir 2019 (100% Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, Australia): excellent pairing, slight bitter notice within the aftertaste
- Penfolds Max’s Chardonnay 2023 (100% Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia): good pairing, wine a bit too brilliant for the dish
With all these glorious pairings this will likely appear to be a simple dish to pair a wine with, however the truth is it was fairly exhausting, because the acidity of the ponzu wreaked havoc on many wines that I attempted with it when making ready for the wine pairing dinners. You want a wine that’s not too acidic or too tannic, and also can deal with the ‘creamy’ character of the uncommon meat. It’s fascinating to notice that ultimately I managed to seek out white, rosé, and purple wines that labored very nicely. The truth that the Cirò rosé labored nicely definitely doesn’t imply that every one rosés will work, as a result of it was horrible with my favourite rosé from the Provence. It was additionally horrible with Sancerre, in addition to with purple Burgundy. With a German off-dry Riesling it wasn’t dangerous, however the wine was approach too highly effective for the dish.
