Moi moi with yellowtail amberjack and vatapa sauce

  • 4–6
  • 2 hours 30 minutes plus time for the beans and cashews to soak overnight
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Slivers of moi moi are served, wrapped in banana leaf, alongside barbecued yellowtail amberjack and a vatapa sauce with tiger prawns. The peeled beans and cashews need soaking overnight, so be sure to start this one in advance.

First published in 2023

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Moi moi

  • 20g of peeled beans, soaked overnight
  • 75g of red onion, diced
  • 175g of roasted red peppers, peeled
  • 10g Scotch bonnet paste
  • 5g of fine salt
  • 10g of curry powder
  • 1g of thyme, dried
  • 65g of chicken stock
  • 75ml of grapeseed oil
  • banana leaf

Vatapa sauce

Yellowtail

Equipment

  • 10cm square baking tin

Method

1

For the yellowtail, mix the salt, pepper, and lime zest together and cure the fillet for 1 hour

2

Marinade the raw prawns with lime juice for 1 hour

3

In a wide saucepan add the oil, onions and salt and sweat on a low heat until soft but not coloured

4

Add the garlic, ginger paste, chilli, black pepper and tomato paste and continue to cook on high heat stirring continuously until all caramelised

5

Blend the soaked cashews into a cream. Weigh out 150g of the cashew cream, and add to the pan with the chicken stock and finish cooking

  • 300g of cashew nuts, soaked in 300ml water overnight
  • 500ml of chicken stock
6

Blend on high speed in a blender and then add the marinated prawns and continue to blend until smooth

7

Pass the finished sauce through the fine sieve and season with salt to taste

8

Rinse the cured fish and pat dry, and allow to air dry skin side up in fridge

9

Place the black-eyed beans, onion, peppers, chilli, salt, spices, thyme and stock in a high speed blender and blitz until smooth for 2 minutes

  • 20g of peeled beans, soaked overnight
  • 75g of red onion, diced
  • 175g of roasted red peppers, peeled
  • 10g Scotch bonnet paste
  • 5g of fine salt
  • 10g of curry powder
  • 1g of thyme, dried
  • 65g of chicken stock
10

Pour into a mixing bowl and hand whisk in oil until fluffy, around 1 minute

  • 75ml of grapeseed oil
11

Pour into a 10 x 10cm lined greased tray and cover tightly with cling film

12

Steam at 100°C for 30 minutes and then allow to cool down at room temperature

13

Brush the fish with red pepper oil and grill skin side down until the skin is crispy, either on a barbecue or under a grill

  • red pepper-infused oil
14

To serve, rewarm the moi moi in a steamer for 2-3 minutes

15

Serve with grilled fish and warmed vatapa sauce and garnish with more red pepper oil

First published in 2023

Chef Ayo Adeyemi always dreamt of fusing the West African flavours of his childhood with the refinement of fine dining. At Fitzrovia’s Michelin-starred Akoko, he brought that vision to life, immersing diners in the depth and diversity of the cuisine.

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