Tantalizing Tuatua

A quick mid-week dash across the Tasman yielded up one of my taste sensations for 2013 - the tiny, tasty briny tuatua.  Like a pippi only far more tasty, both eaten raw and cooked.

I'd ordered the fritters at The Depot, part of Auckland's Sky City complex.  I'd slept late and missed the breakfast window at the hotel, and the couple of hours to lunch just seemed too much of a challenge. I'd assumed tuatua fritters were a variation on whitebait.  But, no, these were so much more.  Perfect fritters, crispy, succulent, with the saltiness of the tuatua.  Eaten raw, it's almost abalone like although not nearly as chewy.  Cooked and all the freshness of the cold waters of the New Zealand coast concentrate into salty bursts.  

There was a hustle and bustle around Auckland - and i was sorry i'd been so quick to dismiss the Depot as a dining choice the night prior.  Interesting menu, good wine list, and a fine coffee to boot.  A definite brunch/lunch choice for next Auckland sojourn!