REX - Regional Express

kitchenconfidential SIMPLY SEAN AWARDED CHEF SEAN CONNOLLY, CULINARY DIRECTOR OF THE TARONGA CENTRE, TELLS ANA BARCIELA ABOUT HIS JOURNEY FROM COOKING AS A CHILD IN HIS FAMILY'S UK KITCHEN TO BECOMING A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN AUSTRALIA. When he started cooking at the age of eight in West Yorkshire with his grandparents and mother, Sean Connolly was far from imagining he would become one of Australia's best-known chefs. He did, however, by the age of 12, realise that his passion was in the kitchen – and so did his father, who got him a job working two nights a week in a local restaurant. "It's a very different world from cooking with your grandmother," Sean explains. "It's a very masculine, aggressive world." It was a big change, especially at a young age, but Sean didn't let it get to him and he worked in the restaurant for three years. By then, Sean had basically given up on school, knowing that what he really wanted to do was cook. He did go to college, but it wasn't his thing. That's when he decided to work on board cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II. It was during a world tour on the ship that he first came to Australia and fell in love with the place, and says he couldn't believe he could go halfway around the world and still speak English. Mostly, though, he found the country beautiful, with great weather and culture, too. "There's everything here," he says. Sean immigrated to Australia, where he climbed the culinary ladder 32 to become the great chef that he is. For 15 years he was at the helm of Astral Restaurant and Sean's Kitchen, both at Sydney's Star City. His current restaurant, The Grill by Sean Connolly, located in Auckland, was named New Zealand Restaurant of the Year 2012 by Cuisine magazine. However, Sean's success in Auckland is not enough to drive him away from Sydney, where he is consulting chef at The Morrison in the CBD, and culinary director at the Taronga Centre. "I'm very excited about my association with the zoo," Sean says. The Taronga Centre, he adds, shares his philosophy about cooking. He describes his dishes as simple and produce-focused and says he is all about classic combinations of flavours. He enjoys preparing and cooking seafood, such as salmon or prawn cocktails, but doesn't single out a signature dish as such. The celebrity chef has won numerous awards, including Chef of the Year at the SMH Good Food Guide Awards a few years ago. "I'm very proud that I get recognised for what I do," Sean says. "I've been cooking for about 30 years, so it's great to get that kind of recognition and to understand that it doesn't come overnight – it's a lot of hard work." CEVICHE OF KINGFISH Ingredients • 500g kingfish • 1 ruby grapefruit • 1 lemon • 2 limes • 1 orange • ¼ pomegranate • ½ bunch of chives • Sea salt, to taste • Extra virgin olive oil, to taste • Micro herbs, to garnish Method 1. Clean kingfish and finely cut into 3–4mm slices, cover with cling film and refrigerate until required. 2. Remove peel and pith from all citrus fruits, divide into segments and place in a bowl. 3. Pull apart pomegranate, carefully remove seeds and add to the citrus mix with juice from remaining flesh. 4. Add chopped chives, a pinch of sea salt and a good splash of oil to the citrus mix. 5. Layer kingfish and citrus mix on a plate and spoon over remaining oil dressing. 6. Garnish with micro herbs.

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