Recipes

Tuatua, cockles, pipis and clams.  To many Kiwis the gathering of these shellfish represents a time honoured tradition that generations of family members have enjoyed. It is a collecting of seafood in which the whole family or whanau can partake.

It's a comical sight to novice onlookers, as the young and old twist and turn, digging their toes into the sand at low tide while feeling for patches of these humble shellfish. The silence of this activity is broken only occasionally by a shriek of pain resounding across the bay as a three inch sand crab latches itself onto an unsuspecting big toe!

This fritter recipe can be adapted to any number of shellfish species by just substituting the weight of the steamed shellfish. I'm a big fan of New Zealand pure wasabi, grown in Canterbury by Copperfolly. I find it's a great accompaniment to all seafood and mixed through this mayonnaise. You can have it as hot or as mild as you wish.

When serving these types of shellfish either steamed or in a fritter form, my wine of choice invariably ends up being a crisp ripe chilled Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough.

Step 1

Wasabi and Basil Mayonnaise

Using a hand held wand blender fitted with a metal blade, place the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, cider vinegar and sugar in tall wand blender processing cup. Blitz for 5 seconds. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the two oils. Remove all the mayonnaise into a bowl, except a quarter of a cup in the bottom. Now add your picked basil leaves and process until smooth. Using a rubber scrapper remove the basil paste and fold into the mayonnaise. Now fold in the pure wasabi and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated until required.

Step 2

Tuatua Fritter Batter

Take a bowl and whisk all the ingredients together until you have a smooth thick-ish batter.

Step 3

Tuatua Fritter Mix

Steam the fresh tuatua's in a little wine and butter until they open, 5 - 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle remove the tuatua flesh from the shell. On a chopping board, chop the tuatua meat until nice and fine. Place in a bowl. Now chop the red onion and the coriander to fine dice, add, then pour in the chilli sauce and lemon juice. Fold in the batter and season with Salt and Pepper.

Step 4

Cooking and Serving

Heat up the griddle flat top, medium to high heat. Lightly oil, then spoon on the size of the fritter you require. Turn after they become nice and golden on the bottom and finish cooking until batter is set. Serve on a platter with a dish of the wasabi basil mayonnaise on the side to dip into. Give them a squeeze of lemon juice just prior to passing around.