Scott Hallsworth Kitchen Confidential

Chef Scott Hallsworth of Kurobuta jazzes up Japanese food in Chelsea and Marble Arch, and tells us what he’ll be using in late summer confidential

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Japanese food is very focused on seasonality – in some cases, like with the haute kaiseki cuisine, the seasons change week by week. In August and September, the mushrooms are incredible, and it excites me to see more Japanese varieties being grown in the UK. The matsutake (hen of the woods) season will just be coming to an end, but we’ll make the most of it – I grill the mushrooms on top of a dried magnolia leaf, which gives off an incredible aroma, then top with pine nuts, gorgonzola and miso sauce. Speaking of miso, I’ll be making my baked miso aubergine. Take off the skin, deep-fry plump chunks of aubergine until golden, then coat the pieces with sweet miso before baking.

Of course at this time of year there are plenty of other great vegetables about. There has to be sweetcorn on
the menu in late summer. I love it in kakiage – a cluster of mixed tempura – with the corn chopped off the cob. I mix the kernels in a batter with spring and white onions and mitsuba before frying, then they are topped with sea urchin and served with a ponzu (citrus and soy sauce) on the side.

It’s coming to the end of season for burdock, and I’ll be using it in a tempura. I scrub it then cut into long
matchsticks and fry up – the flavour is unique and earthy, and it goes great with grilled eel. Burdock also works well as a crisp – a perfect partner to lobster in our funky version of fish and chips. We sous vide the lobster, out of the shell, along with kombu (kelp), butter, sake and soy – the texture is lovely. Then we serve with the crisps, and a sort of hollandaise with yuzu and truffle.

As for all those beautiful summer fruits out there, which are at their best in August and September, we make a plum and almond tart. Cut in half to remove the stones, but keep on the skins before baking in a frangipane-filled tart. Another dark fruit, blackberry, is superb at this time of year – and a blackberry and chocolate fondant, topped with vanilla crème fraîche, is the absolute taste of late summer.

Who i'm using

Nama Yasai (namayasai.co.uk) in Lewes, East Sussex, is a great source for Japanese vegetables and herbs that are grown in the UK – they have incredible seasonal and organic produce. Japan Centre (japancentre.com) is perfect for stocking up on Japanese staples of all kinds.

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Burdock works well as a crisp – a perfect partner to lobster in our funky version of fish and chips

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