Even with a couple restaurants and countless cookbooks under his belt, chef Ming Tsai knows a good thing when he sees it (or, tastes it, as the case may be). That’s why this butterfish recipe has been a mainstay on the menu at Blue Ginger since the early days. Give it a whirl and see if you can master Tsai’s east-meets-west style.
Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish and Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi
Details
Ingredients
- 1 cup light miso (shiro-miso)
- 1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 5 inch by 3 inch pieces, about 7 ounces each, of Alaskan Butterfish
- 1/2 pound dried soba noodles
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup scallions (green parts only), chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons wasabi oil, plus additional for drizzling
- 4 tablespoons pickled ginger (gari), chopped
- 4 sheets toasted nori
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
- 10 ounces wakame (seaweed) salad
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- bamboo sushi rolling mat
- soy syrup for drizzling
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
Directions
- In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the miso, mirin, sake, ginger, grapeseed oil and sugar and stir to blend.
- Add the butterfish, turn to coat and marinate, covered and refrigerated, overnight, or at least 8-12 hours.
- To make the sushi, bring a large quantity of salted water to a boil. Then add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until slightly softer than al dente, about 8 minutes.
- Fill a medium bowl with water and add ice. Then drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When cold, drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the noodles, cilantro, scallions, soy sauce, chopped ginger, vinegar, wasabi oil and 2 tablespoons of the pickled ginger and toss to blend.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Have a small bowl of water handy. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down on the rolling mat with a long edge towards you.
- Evenly spread a 1/4-inch layer of the noodles mixture on the bottom half of the nori and top the upper third of the mixture with 3 to 4 strips of cucumber and 2-4 pieces of pepper.
- To roll, lift the mat, compressing it against the filling as you roll the bottom edge in on itself.
- Continue rolling toward the top edge until only 1/4-inch of the nori remains unrolled.
- Moisten a finger and wet the edge of the nori. Then press the mat to seal the roll.
- Allow the roll to rest, seam side down, for 2 minutes.
- Repeat with the remaining nori and filling ingredients.
- Cover the rolls lightly with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat the broiler.
- Wipe the marinade from the fish and season it with pepper to taste.
- Grill or broil the fish, turning it once, until just cooked through 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut each roll into 5 pieces, 3 straight across and 2 diagonally.
- Divide the sushi pieces among 4 plates.
- Add a small mound of the salad, if using to each and top each with a piece of the fish.
- Drizzle over the soy syrup and wasabi oil, garnish with the sesame seeds and remaining pickled ginger.
- Wipe the marinade from the fish and season it with pepper to taste.