hapuka, popcorn and mulberries

Last Monday I finally found hapuka in the fish market, and it looked really fresh. After first enjoying it at Fish Face several times, this was my first chance to cook it my way, and I couldn't wait for it.

A little over two kilograms of hapuka, was plenty of food to be creative, at least from my limited and rustic capacities. The chosen vegetables for this special ocassion were beetroot, onion, garlic, green asparagus, purple potatoes and continental parsley.

After visiting Leongatha (South Gippsland) just a few days before, it was almost an instant reflex to pick a beautiful 2010 bottle of Bass Phillip  "The Esatate" pinot noir, which Phillip was generous enough to give me.

This our first home hapuka was a revealing success. That firm tasty texture reminded me a little bit of "mero" or even "merluza".

Being a quite innovating meal for our repertoire, we decided to have a cinematic component, so for dessert we chose popcorn, Kakawa popcorn: caramelized and  covered in dark gorgeous chocolate; truly addictive. 

On a fresher but still dark tone, we finished with my first ever plate of mulberries. Really beautiful to look at and a very convenient ending, but I believe I prefer the less sexy blackberries.