Fish Taco Recipe by Greenhouse Chef Farrel Hirsch

Famed Greenhouse Restaurant at The Cellars-Hohenort welcomed new Head Chef, Farrel Hirsch, aged 31, to its kitchen as of November last year. Originally from South Africa, Hirsch gained fundamental work experience abroad, in the UK, where he cooked in some of Nottinghamshire’s most acclaimed kitchens such Tonic, World Service and Cast at The Nottingham Playhouse. On his return to South Africa, he worked at a number of top hotels and lodges including Cape Grace Hotel and Spa, The Oyster Box and the Singita group.

But it is Greenhouse where he worked as Sous Chef from 2014 to 2016 – that he credits for helping to shape his culinary development and the chef he is today.

“The way Chef Peter Tempelhoff could turned the ordinary into something sublime was astonishing”, says Hirsch. “In his kitchen, I learned that there are no boundaries between food and theatre.”

Emerging as a sought-after sous chef, Hirsch spent some time learning new tricks of the trade at Cape Town’s illustrious The Test Kitchen before being offered his first Head Chef role at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff’s fine dining restaurant in Johannesburg.

Hirsch’s most recent position saw him exploring the world of exotic fresh fish as Executive Chef at luxury private resort, North Island in Seychelles.

Now, returning to Greenhouse for a second time, he brings world-class experience to the table.

Here he treats us with a special recipe – Fish Tacos (Ssam). Why not take a crack at it at home and try twist on a classic Taco recipe!

Fish Taco (Ssam – means in-between in Korean)

serves 4 

Ingredients:

1 big Kohlrabi, peeled and sliced thinly in rounds

½ cucumber, sliced thinly in rounds

250g fresh yellowtail

15g spring onion, diced

10g radish, thinly sliced

4g sesame seeds

a pinch of Korean chilli flakes

100g pickled red cabbage – see method below

150g Mojo dressing –see method below

Mojo Dressing Ingredients & Method

7.5g fresh dill

12.5g fresh coriander

12,5g fresh parsley

12,5g watercress

30g spring onion

5g fresh chilli

5g fresh ginger, finely grated

10g fresh garlic

50ml fresh lime juice

5 ml fish sauce

Blend all the ingredients together in a mixer until smooth.

Pickled Red Cabbage Ingredients & Method

100g cabbage, sliced thinly

100g red wine vinegar

100g water

100g sugar

Mix vinegar, water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add shredded cabbage and marinate for 9 hours or overnight.

Making the fish tacos:

Slice the yellowtail sashimi-style, place in non-reactive shallow dish and pour over the lime juice. Let stand for 20 minutes, no longer.

Use the thinly sliced kohlrabi and cucumber rounds to form the base of the taco. Place all the ingredients in the middle of the taco: yellowtail, mojo dressing, pickled cabbage, sesame seeds, spring onion and finish off with a sprinkle of Korean chilli flakes. Fold and eat!

About Greenhouse

Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort, a proud Relais & Châteaux member, offers  exceptional cuisine where each carefully crafted dish is matched with the finest Cape wines.

The award-winning team at Greenhouse uses the bountiful produce of the Constantia Valley to tell the story of the region. The culture, flavours and terroir of the surrounding area are whimsically fused within the dishes of Greenhouse, creating a multi-sensory, modernist dining experience.