4 whole King George whiting, cleaned
and gutted
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
TARATOR SAUCE
150g shelled walnuts
75g fresh breadcrumbs
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
110ml red wine vinegar
TO SERVE: watercress salad
1 For the sauce, place walnuts in a food processor and blend to a rough crumb.
Add breadcrumbs, garlic, red wine vinegar and a few tablespoons of cold water and continue to blend the mixture, slowly adding the oil in a steady stream until smooth.
2 Transfer to a bowl, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3 Brush whiting with olive oil, place on oiled grill plate of a barbecue over medium heat and cook for 7-8 minutes each side.
4 Transfer to a platter and serve immediately with the tarator sauce and a watercress salad.
King George whiting and riesling is a classic food and wine combo. The sweetly flavoured fish works in perfect harmony with the floral, citrus-fresh flavours of riesling. South Australia is renowned for both its King George whiting and its world-class rieslings – so it’s a no-brainer to pair the two. The twist here is the tarator sauce – a Turkish take on the traditional tartar version that includes walnuts. A young, fresh riesling would be swamped by the nutty sauce. However, bottle age has endowed the Wigan with the depth and toasty development to cope with the punch of the tarator sauce while retaining the citrus bright vitality that makes riesling a perfect fit with the whiting.