Fish with Japanese heat.
This is a versatile recipe than can be made when you are home alone, or increase the quantities and you have a dinner party for six. It’s simple, with few ingredients.
Ingredients per person
½ tsp powdered seaweed, made from 4tbs of shredded seaweed (available from Japan Centre), for garnish
2 sachets Shimaya Kelp Dashi Stock – Powder (available from Japan Centre)
10g butter
2 or 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 salmon steak or fillet
¼ pack Soba noodles (available from Japan Centre)
½ – 1 tsp wasabi (available from Japan Centre)
2 tbs double cream
Green vegetables as a side dish
Method
Put a quantity of shredded dried seaweed in a spice/coffee grinder and process to a coarse powder. Use ½ tsp of this per portion of fish as a finishing garnish, and seal the rest in an air-tight container for future use as a sprinkle on fish, salads and noodles.
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil and add 2 sachets of Shimaya Kelp Dashi Stock – Powder. More stock will be needed if you are preparing this dish for more than 2 people.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt the butter.
Add the tomatoes and salmon, skin side down, and gently fry till the fish is half cooked and the skin is coloured. Turn the fish and cook on the flesh side.
As soon as the fish is cooked through and coloured remove from the pan along with the tomatoes. Keep warm.
Add the noodles to the boiling stock and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile add ½ cup of stock from the boiling noodles to the frying pan and deglaze. Add the cream and wasabi and mix thoroughly. The sauce should bubble and thicken. If it looks too thick then reduce the heat and add more stock.
Drain the noodles and arrange on a serving plate, and top with the salmon. Sprinkle over a little of the ground seaweed and spoon the sauce and the tomatoes around. Serve with green vegetables such as steamed broccoli.
Tip: Reserve the stock in which the noodles were boiled to use as a soup base, with the addition of some cooked vegetables or tofu, to go with the salmon tonight or for tomorrow’s lunch.
Read other articles about Japanese food, art and culture here
Recipe by Chrissie Walker © 2018