There's something I love about making a salad, I think it's because I love prep work, chopping, dicing, getting everything in place. Also they are usually pretty forgiving, you can fix mistakes and the flavour pay-off is immediate so you know if a wrong turn has been made.
Israeli couscous cooked in savoury stock
Small fennel bulb, shaved and fronds picked off
Capers
Garlic clove, grated into the lemon juice to mellow
Cumin and chili toasted and ground
Smoked tarakihi (white flakey flesh)
Parsley, finely chopped
Hard boiled egg, passed through a course mouli
Habanero or Tabasco sauce
Lemon juice and rind
Olive oil
Smoked salt
This is pretty much pure assembly once you have the easy prep done. Toss everything together, reserving some of the toasted spices, fish and herbs for garnish. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Make a nice pile of the salad on a plate and arrange some nice large flakes of fish around, scatter over the herbs, dust with the spices and add a couple of drops of the hot sauce for piquancy.
