Claire's Cuisine www.sunlive.co.nz

We were very privileged to dine at the Lost Spring Cafe & Restaurant in Whitianga and sample chef Sam Goslin's outstanding Ora King Salmon dish.

The dish, Kaimoana Ora Kaimoana Aroha (Live Seafood, Love Seafood), hit the mark for me on so many levels.

Visually it was a total knock out, but it was the clever use of textures that blew me away, and of course the star: Ora King Salmon.

The salmon was seasoned with horipito, seared and served with crunchy piko piko, (an edible fern shoot harvested in the Rotorua region). Alongside this was a kina veloute and watakirhi pesto served in a glass, the smoothness and creaminess working so well with the crunchiness of the piko piko and the creaminess of the salmon.

All I can say is 'Try this dish”! Why not make a day of it at The Lost Spring, and relax in the geo-thermal pool, or book a spa treatment.

Ora King Salmon are grown sustainably in the deep, cool waters of the Marlborough Sounds. With worldwide demand for seafood increasing, aquaculture is a highly efficient use of the marine environment.

It takes the pressure away from ocean fishing and is a means of providing the world with valuable and nutritious protein.

Ora King is to salmon, as wagyu is to beef. The highly prized Ora King Salmon is itself a rare luxury, which makes up less than one per cent of the world's salmon species.

It has a luscious, elegant texture and rich taste and the highest natural oil content of all salmon – you can definitely tell the difference.

Each salmon is reviewed by master graders and if it doesn't meet the highest level of grading then it doesn't go on to become Ora King Salmon.

A 150g portion of this salmon provides the complete daily requirement of Omega 3. I cannot think of a nicer way to get your intake.

Its fantastic texture is buttery and soft, without excessive fat. It cuts easily due to its unique muscular structure, is light in the mouth and coats the palate delicately. It is easy to pair with other ingredients, rendering it visually appealing, or as I say: Perfection on your plate.

As well as starring in superb dining experiences to gourmet connoisseurs in countries such as Australia, China, Europe, Japan and North America, Ora King also appears on the menus of top New Zealand restaurants.

In Tauranga it can be found at Trinity Wharf, Mount Bistro, Phil's Place, Mills Reef and Momo Teppan-Yaki.

Next time you're out for dinner make sure you ask for Ora King Salmon and experience the difference.

Thanks to Sam Goslin and Alan Hopping from The Lost Spring for the opportunity, of enjoying not only a fabulous lunch but a chance to discover a 'special paradise” of therapeutic natural thermal spring pools.

Check out their website www.thelostspring.co.nz

The Weekend Sun has a $100 voucher for an Ora King-inspired dinner at The Lost Spring to give away to a lucky reader who can tell us what Kaimoana Ora Kaimoana Aroha means.

Enter online at SunLive Competitions

Entries must be received before Wednesday, August 27.