Recipes

Step 1

Pork Belly

Pre heat oven to 160 degree's.

For the pork belly, score the skin of the pork with a sharp knife (I use a Stanley knife), then rub in the salt. Next place the pork into a suitable sized, high-sided roasting dish.  Add stock along with the star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fresh chilli and ginger to the pan.  Cover with tin foil and place roasting dish on the stovetop or 5 or so minutes until the stock is boiling, then place in the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours.

The meat should be tender and moist. Now remove the foil and place the roasting pan under the grill to crackle the skin. 

Once the skin is crisp, remove cool to room temperature. Then chill.

When the pork belly is set, take a sharp knife and trim the edges, then slice into ¼ inch slices.  Refrigerate until required.

Step 2

Ginger and Lime Syrup

Place all the ingredients into a small non reactive saucepan. Place on low heat and reduce by a third, to a slightly syrupy consistency. Remove , cool and store in the refrigerator.

Step 3

Preparing The Abalone

Place the Abalone on a clean towel. Take a meat mallet or rolling pin and lightly pound the abalone until the shellfish relaxes, and has the same thickness throughout.  Refrigerate until required.       

Step 4

Cooking and Serving

Pre heat  your oven to 120 degrees

Place a sauté pan on medium heat. Once hot add a little oil then cook the pork belly slices for a minute or two on either side until golden. Remove and repeat with the remaining slices, then keep warm in the pre - heated oven.

Take a skillet or sauté pan and place on medium high heat. Cut the Abalone into ½ inch thick pieces.  Season the Abalone slices with sea salt and pepper. Add a little cooking oil to the pan, then sear the slices for about 30 seconds on each side.  They should be golden on the outside and still opaque in the centre.

To serve, on hot plates, alternate 3 pieces of the abalone with a couple of the crispy pork belly Drizzle over a liberal amount of the ginger and lime syrup, then sprinkle over the  fresh herbs. Garnish with a wedge of lime. Eat now!