Hiramasa served raw, with sour, salty and fragrant dressing

The Australian yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) – ‘hiramasa’ is Japanese for kingfish – is a natural inhabitant of the waters off South Australia, where it is now farmed. Its firm flesh is full of flavour, and is superbly moist and silky. At billy kwong we buy the whole fish from our fishmonger and then fillet it ourselves, before serving it thinly sliced and raw, sashimi-style. This recipe is all about the beauty of fresh seafood – it is about having a product so fresh and so high in quality that you really shouldn’t do too much to it. Make sure you use only the freshest, best-quality fish – and your sharpest knife to slice it into super-fine, beautiful sheets. If you can’t get kingfish, substitute any other sashimi-grade fish fillets, such as tuna, salmon or swordfish. The fennel must be young and small, to ensure it will be sweet and tender.