Flour days

EBI NO SUNOMONO

Shrimp is one of the most popular and easy to find seafood in the world but I have had my set of hit and misses, especially with boiled shrimp. The texture of boiled shrimp can often be rubbery and the flavor blah. I would avoid ordering shrimp coctails at restaurants because they almost always disappoint.  I think shrimp deserves better.

Recently, I found a way to boil shrimp and make it come out with a lot of flavor and texture. What I do is coat the shrimp in a little potato starch (katakuriko) before boiling it. You can use other starches like kuzu or cornstarch.  The Chinese have used this technique for centuries.. They coat cornstarch on both meat and seafood. You don't need a lot. In fact, you need to use just enough to put a thin coat.  I did it with this vinegared shrimp.  My shrimp looks a little prettier on the plate and the shrimp has much better flavor and texture.

Octopus and ginger.  This combination is wonderfully refreshing.  The photograph I took of the Octopus arms made them look huge but in reality they were rather small.  Just enough to make two of t hese salads. 

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VINEGARED OCTOPUS AND CUCUMBER

• 1 Japanese cucumber, peeled
• 1 medium size leg of cooked Octopus
• 1 tbls ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp salt for the cucumber

Vinegar dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tbls water or Dashi broth (see Basics for Dashi Recipe - optional) 

1. Make the Vinegared dressing
   
2. Rub cucumber with 1t sp of salt.  Slice thinly, 1/8-inch thick.  Soak the salted cucumber pieces in a bowl of water  (2 cups) for about 15minutes.  Drain.
3. Slice the octopus at a diagonal, about 1/8 inch thick.  Put a small incision in each piece to make chewing easy.   
4. Grate the ginger.
5. Assemble the cucumbers and octopus in a bowl. Pour the dressing and serve with grated ginger.

Wikipedia

It's nearly the end of March and I am very happy that my website is up and swimming.  The last story of the month shall be on Black Cod. Itook a nice birthday hike in the Temescal Canyon with my neighbor Ellen.  After the hike, she treated me to hearty breakfast at thevillage restaurant in Pacific Palisades. 2 plus 2 - is what I always get at this place. That's a double order of everything from pancakes toeggs and turkey bacon.  I felt Tarafuku!  Later,we wandered over to the Farmers Market for fish and produce.  I boughtsome beautiful strawberries, scallions, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, dried apricots and figs and was tempted to keep going until I saw Ellen waiting in line to buy fish.

Today, people seem tobe in the mood for fish.  The Black Cod looked irresistible. I bought the large fillet of Black Cod. In my recent trip to Europe, I had salted cod, Bacalao in a croquette in aBarcelona Tapas bar. Cod fish and chips in London. Cod is such aubiquitous fish and always tasty.  But there is something you should know about America's Black Cod.  It is called cod but it is not reallya true cod. It is also called sablefish but it's neither a sablefish.The flavor and texture of Black Cod has very little in common with a true cod like Link Cod or Rock Cod.  Black Codis a softer, fattier fish. Apparently, the scientist who categorize fish just cannot determine where to place this poor big fellow. For the time being, it is labeled Cod for the mere reason that it is a commercially eaten fish.  

In Japan, the black cod gets a break.  It has its own name, even its own set of Chineese characters, Fish and Snow?? Tara-its pictographs look and sound as beautiful as Snow White.  Beauty is so subjective.

When you have eaten to your heart's content, the Japanese describe that state to be Tarafuku.  Tarafuku means cod's belly. Cod is known to have a huge appetite. It can grow into an enormous fish weighing as much as 200 lbs. Some fish!

 Tara no Miso Zuke

Black cod marinated in a miso-sake pasteis very tasty.  Miso firms the fish and gives the fish a nice sweet smoky flavor. You can prepare this dish couple days in advance. When I marinate the fillets, I like to use cheese cloth to line the fillet so the miso-sake marinade doesn't come in direct contact with the fish. You have less mess to deal with and the fish will not burn easily. This method also allows you to use the marinade more than once.  If you cannot find Black Cod, try any kind of firm fish, including Link Cod and Rock cod, Mahi Mahi, Alaskan halibut. 

Makes 4 servings

4 black codfillets, each weighing about 6-8 oz 

1 tspsalt   

2 cups of Miso-Sake Marinade (see Basic Recipe) 

Cheese cloth (optional)

1. Sprinkle the cod lightly with salt.  Let stand for 1 hour.  Rinse off the water and pat dry.  The fish will take the marinade better with pre-salting but this step is optional.

2. In a non-reactive dish, put half of the miso marinade to cover the bottom of the container.  Place one halfof the cheese cloth on top of the miso marinade. Lay the fillets on top of the cheese cloth so the fish does not come in direct contact with the miso marinade.  Take the remaining half of the cheese cloth and cover the fish.  Then smother the fillet with the rest of the marinade. Leave the fish in the marinade for 2-3 days. Remember, the longer you keep in the marinade, the stronger and saltier the flavor.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.  Lightly wipe marinade off the fish using your hands or paper towel or wash off and wipe dry.  Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil large enough to wrap the fillet.  Cook the fish for 5 minutes on each side or until the fish is nearly cooked. Unwrap the foil and broil the fish until it is toasty on the surface and fish flakes easily.  Becareful not to burn the fish.

4. Serve immediately.

Miso Sake Marinade

Covering the pieces of cod with the marinade.  See the

cheese cloth that is lined between the marinade and

the fish. 

This is a marinade that can be used for marinating firm white fish. Black cod works best but also link and rock cod. The marinade can also be used for marinating beef and pork.

You can adjust the sweetness of the marinade by adding more or less sweet sake and sugar.

2 cups White miso (Saikyo is preferred) or light brown miso

1.5 oz  sake

1.5 oz mirin

1 Tbls sugar (optional)

In a non-reactive container, mix miso, sake, mirin and sugar.   The marinade should be smooth enough to be able to spread easily.  (The consistency is softer than peanut butter). If you need to make it softer, add more mirin or sake.

Cod in the Miso Marinade

Keeps in the fridge for about a month and can be re-used, especially if you use a cheese cloth to line the fish.  I double lined the cheese cloth.  Use enough cheesecloth so you have enough cloth to envelope the fish.  With the cheese cloth lining, the fish is easier

to lift out of the marinade.  When ready to use the fish, wipe or wash off the marinade

with a paper towel or clean cloth to wipe.  Now you are ready to grill the fish.

See the recipe for Cod in Miso Marinade.