Kahawai rillettes with lemon and dill

225g cooked kahawai flesh (see note 1)
175g kwark (see note 2)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Flake the Kahawai flesh, removing any bones.
Place the fish, kwark, and dill in a bowl.
Finely grate about half the rind of the lemon into the bowl.
Add about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix with a fork until blended but don't overmix - the mixture should retain the thready texture of the fish.
Serve, like a pâté or dip, with bread or raw vegetable straws.

Note 1: If you are starting with a whole kahawai, first fillet it. Poach (the surface of the water should only just bubble) the fillets in water acidulated with slices of a lemon for about 5 minutes until just cooked. Drain and peel away the skin.

Note 2: Kwark is a smooth low fat soft curd cheese. Cottage cheese can be used instead - it needs to be first pureed to a smooth consistency in a food processor.

Margaret Brooker is a freelance food writer and the author of "At It's Best; Cooking with Seasonal Produce" and "New Zealand Food Lovers' Guide". Both are available from good booksellers nationwide.

This page was updated on 3 June, 2004