This recipe comes from the 2004 WestCoast winner, Karamea Village Hotel.

First make some concentrated garlic water by blending 1 bulb of peeled garlic with 1 cup water until smooth.

• 20g butter
• 7 tablespoons flour
• 160mls hot chicken stock
• 11/2 cups washed watercress (Karamea’s is collected from Baker’s Creek)
• 1/2 cup parsley sprigs
• 1/4 teaspoon iodised sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil for cooking
• 200g fresh Karamea whitebait
• 2 handfuls deep-fried watercress to serve

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add all the flour at once, beating until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the stock a little at a time until it is all incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Return the saucepan to the heat and simmer, stirring sauce until thick and smooth.

Place watercress, parsley, salt and pepper in a blender and chop finely. Add the sauce to the blender and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Press a cartouche (piece of baking paper) on to the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming, and set it aside.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and quickly stir-fry the whitebait. Add 40mls of concentrated garlic water. Serve the whitebait in the middle of warm plates and garnish with some deep-fried watercress.

Pour watercress sauce into a Monteith’s schooner glass ready to serve at the table. Serves 2. Serve with Monteith’s Original.