Chef Matt Lambert brings New Zealand flavor to THE Dish

Chef Matt Lambert is quickly becoming the talk of the town. The chef recently opened "The Musket Room," a restaurant in Nolita that offers modern New Zealand cuisine. He raised more than $25,000 on Kickstarter to open the restaurant which earned a coveted Michelin star just four months after opening.

Today, he's here to show us a few of his signature dishes: Roasted side of Ora King Salmon, BBQ carrots, salted kale, chilled pea salad and for dessert, seasonal Pavlova.

Roasted Side of Ora King Salmon

Ingredients (cure):

• 1 side of ora king salmon pin boned, skin on
• ¼ cup salt
• 1/4 sugar
• zest of 5 oranges
• zest of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lime

Ingredients (roasting):

• Sliced citrus (orange, lemon and lime used for zest)
• 2-3 sliced fennel bulbs
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 1 bunch thyme
• 1 bunch lemongrass
• Sliced ginger

Ingredients (Manuka Honey Glaze):

• ¼ cup manuka honey (if unavailable, another floral honey)
• 2tbsp fennel pollen
• 1 tsp ground roasted coriander seeds

Method:

• Combine salt, sugar and citrus zest in a bowl and mix to create salmon cure
• Distribute salmon cure on the flesh side of salmon, wrap with plastic and place in the fridge over night to cure
• When ready to roast, rub the salmon to remove the bulk of the cure. Leave any remaining on surface, do not wash with water
• To infuse more flavor during roasting, place sliced citrus that you already zested, fennel, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, lemongrass and ginger (or any combination that you prefer) in the bottom of the pan before roasting. This way, the aromatics can infuse the fish with added flavor as it cooks
• In a 350F oven, roast skin side down in a roasting pan for around 10 minutes. I prefer this gorgeous fish to be medium - medium rear, but you can leave it in for longer if you prefer a more well-done fish
• While the salmon is roasting, combine the manuka honey, fennel pollen and ground, roasted coriander seeds in a small pan over medium heat. With a pastry brush, half way through cooking, coat the salmon with the glaze.
• Discard skin once removed, and again brush with manuka honey glaze. Serve hot on a large dish garnish with fennel, mustard frill and peppery herbs like upland cress and water cress, as well as any additional fresh herbs you have left from your roasting

2. BBQ Carrots

Ingredients:

• 3 bags baby carrots (the larger the better)
• 2 tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
• 6-8 tbsp pickled mustard seeds
• Your favorite BBQ sauce to cover
• 2 tbsp Chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method

• Place a large rondo (large, flat bottomed) pot over high heat.
• Once the pot is very hot, add oil. The oil should be on cusp of smoking.
• Add cleaned carrots and lightly season with salt. Roast in pan for XX-XX minutes. You are going for an "al dente" carrot here, with a roasted exterior and near raw interior.
• Once carrots are cooked, remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Combine additional ingredients and toss until well distributed
• Carrots can be enjoyed warm or served cold

2. Sautéed kale

Ingredients

• 6 bunches Tuscan kale, stems removed. (baby kale is good sub)
• ½ cup sea beans (samphire - they resemble asparagus)
• 8 tbsp roasted garlic olive oil
• 6-10 roasted garlic cloves (to taste)
• 2 tbsp Chardonnay vinegar
• Maldon sea salt to taste

Method

• In a large pan (big enough to hold the raw kale), warm garlic oil to medium heat (over-heating will destroy the flavor)
• When the oil is warmed, add the sea beans and sauté for 30 seconds. Once the sea beans are warmed through, add the kale. For an extra kick, add roasted garlic cloves to taste
• Sauté kale, sea beans and garlic cloves until kale is wilted. Add vinegar and salt, mix, and remove from heat
• Serve warm

3. Chilled Pea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh peeled and blanched peas (still firm to the bite.)
• 2 tbsp ripped black mint
• 3 tbsp citrus olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 4 tbsp chopped chives
• 1oz trout roe
• 1oz hackle back caviar
• ½ cup pea flowers
• Add sea salt to taste

Method:

• Peel and blanche peas. Peas should still be firm to the bite. Let cool.
• All herbs should be chopped in to very fine chiffonade strips
• Simply mix peeled and blanched peas, citrus olive oil, dill, cilantro and chives and place in presentation bowl
• Garnish the top with caviar, roe, black mint leaves and pea flowers. Also feel free to add chili flakes or Aleppo pepper flakes if you'd like to add some spice to this very refreshing, summer side. Personally, I like the very simple elegance of the peas and citrus oil. But also a bit of spice!

Dessert: Seasonal Pavlova

Ingredients: (Pavlova)

• 4 egg whites
• 1½ cups sugar, caster (fine ground)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Ingredients: (vanilla bean whipped cream)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean's seeds (extracted)
• 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar (very fine)

Ingredients: (filling)

• 1 cup strawberries (quartered)
• ½ cup raspberries
• ½ cup black raspberries

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar on medium/high for 10-15 minutes, until glossy and thickened
• In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla and add in to the thickened egg white mixture. Again beat the mixture for 5 minutes until well combined
• Line a tray with baking paper. Using the bottom of a large bowl (around 9 inches), draw a circle to guide your meringue pouring. Remove the meringue from the mixer and pour on to the paper, spreading to within an inch of the border, keeping the thickness as consistent as possible. Smooth the top and place the baking sheet in the oven
• Once the pan is in the oven, reduce the heat to 210 degrees and let bake for 1 hour
• After an hour, open the oven door and turn off the oven. Allow the oven to completely cool without disturbing the Pavlova. This will ensure that the meringue is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside
• While the Pavlova cools, combine vanilla extract, confectioner's sugar, vanilla seeds and cream, whipping on high until thickened. Also combine fruit (recommended berries are delicious this time of year, but you can use whatever your favorite fruit is on hand)
• Once the Pavlova has cooled, carefully remove and place on a serving dish. Coat with whipped cream, then top with berries