Steamed Black Bass With Kombu Noodles And Mushroom Dashi Recipes

SAKE STEAMED BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Prepare the lemongrass by removing the outer tough leaves to reveal the white center. Smash each stalk with the back of a knife to release the oils and flavor.
• Lay the sliced limes in the bottom of a large baking dish. Evenly space the lemongrass pieces on top of the limes and lay the ginger strips evenly around the lemongrass. Arrange the fillets directly on top, pour the sake over the fish and season with salt. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the fish is firm, opaque in the center, and beginning to flake, about 15 minutes. The cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fillets.
• Just before serving, spoon a little of the liquid from the dish over the fillets and transfer to plates to serve.

DASHI

Steps:

• Wipe konbu with a damp cloth to clean.
• In a stock pot, place konbu and cold water over medium heat. Just before the water begins to boil (DO NOT BOIL!) pull off heatand let stand 5 minutes.
• Remove konbu, and bring back to heat. Again, right before stock begins to boil, remove from heat and add the bonito flakes. When flakes sink to the bottom, strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Dashi can hold in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

DASHI

Steps:

• Fill a medium sized soup pot with water and add kelp. Heat, uncovered, so as to reach the boiling point in 10 minutes. Important: Kelp emits a strong odor when boiled, so be sure to remove it from water before it boils. Insert your thumbnail into the fleshiest part of the kelp, if it is soft, remove it from the water. If tough, return it to the pot for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep it from boiling by adding 1/2 cup cold water.
• Remove kelp and bring stock to a full boil. Add 1/4 cup cold water to bring the temperature down quickly and immediately add the bonito flakes. Bring to a full boil and remove from the heat at once. Allow the flakes to start to settle on the bottom of the pot. Skim foam and filter through cheesecloth lined sieve.

STEAMED BLACK BASS WITH KOMBU NOODLES AND MUSHROOM DASHI

Steps:

• Place the water, soy and sake in a large saucepot over a medium flame. Add the kombu and simmer until the kombu softens. Add the carrots and daikon, simmer until the carrots and diakon just soften (about 2-1/2 minutes), then remove from the flame. Discard the kombu, and reserve the carrots and daikon. Add the mushrooms and shaved bonito (or dashi flakes) and soak until the liquid comes to room temperature. Remove mushrooms from dashi liquid, thinly slice the mushrooms and set aside.
• Place 1 cup of mushroom dashi in the bottom of a small wok. Set a bamboo rice steamer over the dashi. Bring the dashi to a simmer over a medium flame. Place the bass fillets in the steamer and cover. Steam 6 to 8 minutes or until the bass is just cooked. Meanwhile, place the remaining dashi in a medium saucepot over a medium flame. Add the carrots, daikon, mushrooms, mustard greens, and kombu battera. Bring to a simmer. Divide the broth and vegetables equally into 2 warmed bowls. Arrange the carrots and daikon lattice style to support the bass. Lay the bass over the lattice and sprinkle with fleur de sel.