4 whole cucumber
1 kg white shallots
500 ml white wine vinegar
2 bulb fennel
8-10 star anise
Salt to taste
50 g pickled pink peppercorns
20 g mustard seeds
10 limes (zest and juice)
6 lemon (zest and juice)
50 g castor sugar
1 bunch fresh chopped mint
Method:
Trim the cucumber to expose the centre seed core retain for use later.
Dice the cucumber 10mm dust with salt, leave for twenty minutes, rinse well.
Bring to the boil the vinegar, star anise, pink peppercorns, mustard seeds, finely diced shallots and sugar.
Take off the heat add the lime and lemon juice and zest adjust seasoning to taste.
Pour over the diced cucumber, seal and leave to rest/ mature 12-24 hours.
Cut the core of the cucumber to size for portion presentation, blow torch the core of the cucumber to give a light charred smoky flavor and spoon the pickled cucumber over the top to garnish dish.
