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AL BROWN's hearty dishes capture the fun and flavours of the Kiwi bach.

For me, these fritters come close to a dish that encapsulates New Zealand cuisine almost perfectly. You can substitute different shellfish in this recipe, such as mussels, pipi or cockles. The kūmara helps bulk out the recipe if you are short on kaimoana and it adds a subtle sweetness.

TUATUA AND KÜMARA FRITTERS WITH EGG, GHERKIN AND CAPER MAYONNAISE
EGG, GHERKIN AND CAPER MAYO

1 cup (250g) mayonnaise
2 hard-boiled eggs, rough chopped
½ cup gherkins, finely diced
½ cup capers, rinsed and finely chopped finely grated zest and juice of
1 lemon
½ cup finely chopped parsley
FRITTERS
650g tuatua meat
350g kūmara, cut into
1 cm dice
½ cup (80g) finely diced red onion
½ cup (60ml) sweet chilli sauce
½ cup (15g) basil leaves, finely chopped
1½ tbsp lemon juice
3 eggs
3⁄4 cup (110g) plain flour
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper cooking oil, for frying lemon halves, to serve To make the mayo, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then refrigerate.

Place the tuatua in a colander to drain, then roughly chop and place in a medium-sized bowl.

Place the kūmara in a small saucepan, cover with salted cold water, then bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just soft. Drain, spread on a tray and let cool.

Add the kūmara to the tuatua, then mix in the onion, chilli sauce, basil and lemon juice.

With a stick blender, blitz the eggs and flour in a bowl to create a thick batter. Add to the tuatua, then mix through. Using the stick blender, blitz about a cup of the mix, then fold this back in (this will help hold the fritter together when cooking). Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate.