Harbour Fog Kumara Coins with Wasabi Pea Dust, Smoked Mussel Cream & Pickled Apple
By Chef Gordon Ramswine
What it is:
A small, sharp, salty, smoky New Zealand-style bite. Looks fancy. Eats like a coastal ambush.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS (Approx. 20 pieces)
Base
• 2 medium orange kumara
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Pinch smoked paprika
Smoked mussel cream
• 1 small tin smoked mussels, drained
• 3 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp sour cream or Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp horseradish or wasabi
• Small pinch cayenne
Pickled apple
• ½ green apple, finely diced
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pinch salt
Crunch/dust
• ¼ cup wasabi peas, crushed into rough powder
• Fresh chives or microgreens
• Optional: tiny drizzle of honey or chilli oil
Method
Slice kumara into thick coins, about 1 cm. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Roast at 200°C for about 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft inside but still holding shape.
Mix the diced apple with vinegar, sugar and salt. Leave for 15 minutes, then drain.
Blend or mash the smoked mussels with cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, horseradish/wasabi and cayenne until mostly smooth but still slightly textured.
Spoon or pipe a small mound of smoked mussel cream onto each kumara coin. Top with pickled apple, a dusting of crushed wasabi peas, and a little chive or microgreen.
Menu Description & Serving Notes.
RANSWINE’S NOTES
Serve
Best served slightly warm or room temperature.
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MEGA description
A tiny edible foghorn from the harbour: sweet kumara, smoky mussel, green-apple bite, and wasabi pea crunch. One mouthful, then the council forms a working group to investigate flavour.