The Japanese Turning Vegetable Slicer (sometimes referred to as a vegetable spiralizer) is an often overlooked kitchen gadget, but one that could just give your culinary creations that unique edge. With just a few turns of the handle, the slicer quickly creates long ‘spaghetti’ strands in a variety of widths from many vegetables or firm fruits. The creative possibilities are endless with the end product often being used in sushi restaurants and by imaginative chefs in many other styles of cooking.

The Japanese Turning Vegetable Slicer was featured on BBC One’s ‘Saturday Morning Kitchen’ this weekend by renowned chef James Tanner of top Plymouth eatery Tanners Restaurant. Whilst James Martin was initially dubious of this unusual kitchen gadget, the resulting dish created by Tanner was highly original and well received. If you need further inspiration on how to use this great little piece of kitchen equipment, here’s the recipe:



Brill with fennel pollen wrapped in ‘spaghetti’ of potato

Ingredients

For the fish

• 1 Maris Piper potato
• 2 x 180g/6oz boneless and skinless brill fillets
• 2g fennel pollen
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• dash of oil
• knob of butter
• juice of 1 lemon

For the sauce

• dash oil
• 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 250ml/9fl oz vegetable stock
• 250ml/9fl oz whipping cream
• 1 large handful flat leaf parsley

For the tomatoes

• 3 mixed heritage tomatoes, sliced
• drizzle extra virgin oil

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mk 6.
2. To prepare the fish, peel, top and tail the potato and place on a vegetable turner / spiraliser set with a fine blade. Turn the handle to create fine potato spaghetti strands.
3. Season the brill with fennel pollen plus salt and pepper. Wrap the potato neatly around the fish fillets.
4. Heat a pan to a medium heat, add oil and a knob of butter and fry the fish on both sides for a couple of minutes, or until golden-brown. Place the fish in a lined baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for a further six minutes.
5. To prepare the sauce, heat a dash of oil in a saucepan and fry the shallot and garlic until softened. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half, add the cream and cook until reduced by half again.
6. Blend the sauce with parsley leaves on full power to achieve a vibrant green sauce.
7. For the tomatoes place the slices on a baking tray, season and drizzle with a extra virgin oil. Place in the oven to heat through for a minute.
8. Remove the fish from the oven and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Arrange the tomato slices on each plate, place the fish on top and drizzle around the sauce.

By Simon Lowthian