I got some beautiful halibut cheeks from the San Francisco Fish Company at the Ferry Building Farmers Market, and some equally beautiful but more commonly available yellowfin tuna from Shogun Fish Company outside. What to do, what to do... I decided on a few courses to showcase the excellent fish and try out some techniques I've seen a bunch, tasted a bunch, but never actually done. So, seen herein are my first attempts at sake-curing fish, smoking something other than meat, clarifying a consomme the traditional way, and making a streusel.

Halibut Cheeks Cured in Nigori Sake, Browned Jalapeno, Myoga Blossom

First, I took a couple of the halibut cheeks and pounded them a bit flatter (but not too thin) and cured them by submerging them in a dry nigori sake in the refrigerator for about four hours. I took them out and let them warm up just a bit. Then I served them with thin slices of jalapeno that I'd sauteed in a very hot pan, and raw, sliced myoga blossoms (a special treat from Happy Quail Farms). I finished them off with a drop of sesame oil and a drop of soy sauce. Delicious! The light cure firmed up the cheeks, giving them a pleasantly chewy texture, and imparting a slightly sweet sake bite. The slight char of the jalapeno and toastiness of the sesame oil boosted the savory qualities, while the myoga added a (very slight) floral acidity. The only problem with it was that the myoga was even more subtle of a flavor than I'd planned on. I knew it would be subtle, and had tasted it, but it was nearly flavorless. So while it did add a crunchy crispness to the dish, it had very little flavor. Still good.

Yellowfin Tuna, Cucumber, Cedar-Smoked Mayonnaise, Foamy Soy Sauce, Scallion

I sliced the cucumber on a mandoline, but kept it fairly thick; I wanted it to be stiff enough to act as a carrier so that this would be finger food. I then sliced some raw tuna sashimi-style and cut the cucumber planks slightly larger than the pieces of tuna. I used the smoked mayo that I made for the purpose (see previous post on smoked mayo). For the soy sauce foam, I added a bit of sugar to some soy sauce, then thickened it ever so slightly with a bit of xanthan gum. Then I added a tiny pinch of soy lecithin granules and foamed it up with an immersion blender. I served the tuna and cucumber with a small squeeze of the fucking delicious mayonnaise, some of the soy sauce foam drizzled on top, and thin strips of scallion cut lengthwise. This was amazing. The richness of the smoked mayo brought the whole thing together and brought it to the next level.

Yellowfin Tuna Lightly Poached in Onion-Sriracha Consomme with Shiitake Mushrooms

This was the first time I'd made a consomme using the classic clarification technique of making a "clarification raft" out of egg whites. I made a really flavorful onion broth (basically just like you'd make a French onion soup), by caramelizing a bunch of onions then simmering in water. I stirred in some sriracha sauce and some bonito flakes (mmmm... umami), and simmered for another few minutes. Then I strained and stirred in some ice cubes to cool the flavorful stock down (it doesn't have to be room temperature, just can't be too hot... under, say, 140F should work). I beat some egg whites in a bowl with a bunch of shiitake mushroom powder (dried shiitakes ground in a spice grinder) and chopped scallion. Then I stirred the egg white mixture into the broth and put it back over the heat. As I brought it up to a simmer, the egg whites coagulated and rose to the top, trapping all the particles from the broth on its way to the surface. Eventually the egg whites formed a foamy mass on top of the transparent broth below. It's important that you keep it at a bare simmer so that you don't break the raft. Finally, I made a hole in the raft and ladled the clear broth out through a chinois into a separate bowl. Finally, I tasted it and adjusted--I needed to reduce it a bit to get the strong flavor I wanted, so I did. Then I added just a touch of soy sauce to the broth for salt.

Once I had the clear onion-sriracha consomme, I kept it at a simmer while I cut the tuna in cubes a little over an inch on the side (next time I'd make them much smaller, like 5/8 inch). I had also sliced some shiitakes very thinly and gave them a quick saute to brown them just a bit, then drained them on paper towels. I served the dish by placing the shiitake slices and tuna cubes into bowls (presented artfully), then poured the hot consomme over the bowls tableside. The hot broth lightly poaches the tuna cubes, leaving the centers raw while the outsides firm up. I meant to also have some chopped scallion in the bowl too, but forgot to add it. This was absolutely fantastic.

Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fried with Pineapple and Chili Sauce

For some extra green healthiness in the meal, I threw in this quick dish that I make pretty often. It's super delicious and super easy. Almost every week, I buy baby bok choy from ___________ (can't remember the name of the farm, but they're in the front-right of the Ferry Building every Tuesday and Saturday). I prepare this dish like so: I cut the stems off of the bok choy and wash (I usually buy baby bok choy because it isn't as overpoweringly bitter, and the stems are more tender). Then I cut the leafy parts off of the stem parts. I began sauteeing the stems over high heat in a preheated pan, giving them a minute or so to soften up and brown just a bit. Once the stems went in the pan, I turned the heat down to low. After the stems are somewhat softened (but still quite crisp), I added diced pineapple and some chili pepper sauce (I actually use Yank Sing's delicious chili pepper sauce all the time). After another minute or so, I gave it a stir, then added the leaves of the bok choy, and took the pan off the heat, stirring until the leaves were wilted. Like I said, I make this all the time, and it's great. The sweet tartness of the pineapple plays off the bitterness of the bok choy and the fattiness of the oil, while the pineapple dice also provide bursts of juiciness. I highly recommend this for a quick veggie dish at home.

Sauteed Halibut Cheeks with Thai Basil Blossoms and Red Pepper and Pineapple Relish

I sauteed up the remaining halibut cheeks, giving them a nice sear, then topped each one with a sprig of blossom from the beautiful Thai basil that I buy nearly every week from the same place I get the baby bok choy. I served them with a relish made of caramelized red bell pepper, pineapple, and Thai basil leaves. They were good, very flavorful, but I discovered that when fully cooked, the cheeks were a bit stringy. They were still quite juicy--I didn't overcook them--they just tend to break off in your mouth along their natural fibers, which are quite long. A bit different from the usual fish filet texture, but super tender, super flavorful, and quite good. The relish was good, but there was nothing special about it. However, I love eating the blossoms of Thai basil! The blossoms always have, to me, even more of the peppery anise notes of Thai basil than the leaves. Overall, good, but I think there are much better accompaniments that I could have done.

Thai Basil Parfait with Ginger Streusel and Macerated Bing Cherries

I made streusel with candied ginger, and packed it into the bottom of little cups. Then I made a parfait by infusing scalded, sweetened milk with a ton of Thai basil, dissolving gelatin in it, then folding in cold, whipped cream, pouring it into the cups over the streusel, and letting it set it in the refrigerator. For the macerated cherries, I pitted them, then chopped them, and sprinkled sugar over in a bowl. The sugar draws out the juices, and the cherries macerated in their own sweetened juices. I served by letting the parfaits warm up just a bit, then dumping some of the cherries and juice on top.

They were pretty good. The parfait was excellent in every way, light and delicate, with a nicely spiced Thai basil flavor that came through remarkably well (probably because, like I said, I used a ton). However, I packed the streusel way too hard, so it was tough to scoop out. The flavors went very well together. Normally I wouldn't necessarily put Thai basil with bing cherries, but the creamy milkiness of the Thai basil parfait tempered the Thai basil in a way that made it perfect with the cherries. I had intended to set it in a mold that I could then unmold. Unfortunately, I have no appropriate ring molds, so that idea went out the window. Bottom line: good thought, good parfait, but I need a lot of work on streusel.

Posted by Barzelay on 2008/09/22 @ 0:25 | Comments (0) | Food Additives, Sauces, Condiments, Science, Technology, Seafood

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