A Reason for Riesling Part 1: The Aussies Got It Good and It’s Good With Purple Pots and Fish

Honestly, there’s always a reason for riesling. There are so many flavor profiles, styles, and sweetness levels. For the next few weeks, I’m going on a riesling flavor journey and pairing them with Filipino/Filipino-esque dishes. This week, I’m going down under with Australian riesling. Starting off with a more bone-dry, crisp wine will not only help calibrate my palate (I hear it’s the best way to start off a tasting), but also it’s kind of cool not starting with a typical German, Austrian, or even New York riesling. This should be fun.

I’ve had a little bit of a “fried tooth” lately. I can’t help it; it’s just the perfect pair for any day and any drink. I was craving fish and chips again but felt that I needed to 1) maybe lessen the fried part of this comforting dish and 2) add a little color. The obvious answer to the first puzzle was to pan sear the fish so I can get some nice, crisp buttery flavor. The answer to the second puzzle was to incorporate baked ube fries (purple sweet potatoes pronounced “oo-bae” not “ub”) as well as other seasonal vegetables.

I love the color purple but eating purple things was not my thing growing up - especially ube. I think it was because the whole ube custard dessert thing didn’t look as appealing as cookies and cake.

Photo Credit: PalangsayPinoy.com

For the past year (maybe year and a half), there’s been a ube Renaissance in my kitchen. I’ve used it for both sweet and savory dishes; so it made perfect sense for this creation. Of all the components of this healthy-ish fish dish, the ube fries were my favorite. And the sweet, crispness of the fries was even better with the cool, “petroly” funk and ripe limey-ness of this awesome Australian riesling.

Talk about a great pair from down under.

Pan-seared Fish with Ube Fries, Toasted Garlic and Sesame Aioli and Brussels Sprout Slaw (Serves: 4)

Ingredients

• Toasted Garlic and Sesame Aioli (adapted from this recipe*)

  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tsp Sesame oil

  • A few heavy pinches of salt

  • 3 large egg yolk

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar

  • ¾ tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 cup Avocado oil

  • Pepper to taste

  • Brussels Sprout Slaw

    • ½ lb Brussels sprouts, halved and shaved with a mandoline on the middle setting

    • 1 medium Carrot, shredded

    • ½ cup pickled julienned radishes,

      • Pickled radishes (to be made 1-2 days ahead of time)

        • 8 oz Small radishes

        • ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

        • ¼ cup H2O

        • 1 tsp light brown sugar

        • Salt and pepper to taste

        • Juice of ½ lemon

        • 1 tbsp Olive oil

        • Salt and pepper to taste

        • Ube Fries**

          • ½ lb Ube/purple potatoes, battonette cut

          • 2 tbsp Potato starch

          • 3 tbsp Avocado oil

          • Salt and pepper to taste

          • Pan-seared Fish***

            • 1 lb Pollack, divided into fourths (you can use any fish though)

            • 2 tbsp Avocado oil

            • 4 tbsp Butter

            • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make toasted garlic and sesame aioli

2. Make ube fries*

3. While ube fries are baking, combine shaved Brussel sprouts, shredded carrot, pickled radishes, lemon juice, Mirin, and olive oil in a large bowl. Set aside in the fridge until ready to plate.

4. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper.

5. In a wok or non-stick pan, heat avocado oil over high-heat. Once hot, place the fillets in the pan, skin side down (if applicable).

6. After about 30 seconds, add butter, lower the heat to medium, and let cook until fish is golden and caramelized (about 2-3 minutes). Carefully flip over and baste with butter in the pan. Continue basting until fish is golden and cooked through (about 1 minute). Remove fish from heat and brown the rest of the butter in the pan.

7. Plate with ube fries and Brussels sprouts and enjoy.

*Recipe credit: Epicurious

**Recipe credit: The Kitchn

**Recipe credit/adaptation: NYTimes

About Pewsey Vale

While some Australian winemakers tend to blend grapes from all other a general region, Louisa Rose and Darrell Kruger are dedicated to showing off Eden Valley and the Pewsey Vale vineyard with their riesling. Two-hundred and fifty meters above the Barossa Valley floor, the high altitude and cooler temperatures allow the grapes to ripen longer. The result is a crisp, bone-dry wine with well-balanced ripe fruit and mineral notes. Additional pairings include sushi, seafood dumplings, and all the root vegetables.