I learned this impressive recipe from inspiring chef, Niki Nakayama. The already flavorful rockfish sashimi is further enhanced with the burned romaine sauce. Paired with Sencha tea, the flavors dance together in refreshing vegetal sweetness.
Handling and preparing raw fish for consumption should be taken seriously. Creating sashimi at home is perfectly fine, as long as the fish is super fresh, and the recipe is followed to the letter.
Cured rockfish ingredients
1 piece of rockfish, descaled, from the upper loin
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 oz fresh parsley
2 oz dill
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
Burnt romaine sauce ingredients
1 medium-sized romaine heart
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
2 oz ponzu
Garnish
2 red radishes
chives
1/2 lime
seasonal microgreens
Place the fish, skin side up on a heatproof tray. Gently ladle boiling water over the skin, using just one ladle of water. Place the fish in an ice bath for 25 seconds, remove , and pat dry. In a separate bowl, mix salt, chopped parsley, grated lime peel, and chopped dill. Place the fish in a bowl of the curing mix, making sure all sides of the fish are covered. Place the bowl in the fridge for 40 minutes for curing.
While the fish is in the fridge, cut the romaine heart in half lengthwise. Heat a non-stick pan on high heat and add canola or grapeseed oil. You do not want to use olive oil as it burns quickly. Wait until the oil is super hot. Be very careful and stand back to avoid splash burns while you next add the romaine. Add salt and wait until you see the dark brown color of romaine. You want to achieve a good char, not a burn. Put the charred romaine in a blender, followed by ponzu, olive oil, and minced garlic. Starting on a low setting and gradually increasing, blend until you have a creamy consistency.
Remove fish from the refrigerator. Gently rinse off the curing mix, and pat dry. Place the fish on a board, the scale side up. Using a large sharp knife, cut a ¼-inch slice with only one downward movement of the knife. Repeat for the rest of the fish.
Prepare the garnish by thinly slicing the radish using a mandolin. Place slices in an ice bath to get them crispy and firm. Julienne the chives and finely slice the lime. Now, turn your creativity into plating the fish slices. Follow with the garnish and top with micro greens. Serve with Sencha tea for a memorable creation.
