You may have seen Bonito if you have ever snorkelled off the east coast of Australia, as it is quite a common and easy to spot as it has distinctive horizontal black stripes. Usually it is sold as a whole fish at the fish mongers and they will fillet it for you if you ask nicely. Bonito is an underrated fish in Australia, it is fairly inexpensive and readily available (especially in Sydney and NSW). It is from the same family as the tuna and has a firm flesh and mild flavour so it is very versatile to cook with. It tastes like a cross between mackerel and tuna and only has a few bones, so easy to eat. One of the best things about Bonito is that it is generally line caught and it is a fairly sustainable fish. So give it a try, it’s delicious and a great source of essential fatty acids and protein.

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Ingredients

1 medium sized Bonito, filleted and pin boned
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
A knob of fresh ginger, finely minced
1 medium sized bunch of curly leaf kale (don’t worry! it will cook down)
3 slices of streaky bacon
2 tablespoons of blue cheese, crumbled
2-3 carrots, julienned

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Method

Combine soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic in a small bowl.

Lightly score the fish fillets and brush generously over both sides of the fish. Ideally you should allow your fish to marinade  in the fridge for between 30 minutes- 1 hour if possible to let the flavours infuse.

Take the fish out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature while you prepare the vegetables

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Thoroughly wash and drain your kale

Cut the curly leaves away from the tough stems and discard stems. Chop the leaves into a manageable size for eating

Cut your bacon into 1 inch strips. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add bacon.

Cook until bacon is crispy then remove from the pan and set aside. Leave bacon fat in the pan

Julienne your carrots and set aside

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil into a oven proof dish and place Bonito fillets on top.

Put the dish into the oven and cook fish for 12-15 minutes

While the fish is cooking re-heat the pan with the bacon fat over a medium heat and add the kale.

Stir frequently to keep it from sticking. The kale will cook down significantly and is ready when the leaves are tender.

Once cooked add the bacon pieces back into the pan and warm through

Steam the carrots

Take the fish out of the oven and serve with a generous helping of smoky kale and carrots

Bon Appetite!