Recipe: Crudo

the appetizer:

Uchi, The Cookbook by Tyson Cole and Jessica Dupuy includes recipes like Take Nabe Mushroom Bowl; Machi Cure (Smoked Yellowtail and Yucca Root); and Crudo (Japanese Sea Bass).

Crudo

This is a simple dish using suzuki, a small Japanese striped sea bass that is really clean and crisp. It's a great example of the kind of sushi I like to make. When I started playing with different components to add to this fish, I found that simply adding some brunoised garlic to a tangerine-infused oil and maldon salt made the perfect combination. I love using only a few simple ingredients to make a perfect piece of fish even better, and the crudo is an example of how we achieved that.

2-1/2 ounces Japanese sea bass
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Orange Oil

Zest of 2 large oranges
2 ounces vegetable oil

San Bai Zu

(See recipe below.)

Yuzu Pon Sauce

(See recipe below.)

Garnish

Black pepper
Maldon salt
Micro arugula
Golden tobiko

For the Japanese sea bass: Use 1/2 a side of cleaned and scaled sea bass. Score the skin side of the fish in a crosshatch pattern. Slice the fish across the grain into about 6 slices, and keep the pieces of the fish together so that the shape of the fillet is intact. Reserve in a clean chilled stainless steel bowl in refrigerator. Brunoise the clove of garlic and reserve.

For the orange oil: Place the zest into the vegetable oil and reserve in a warm place overnight to infuse maximum flavor. Strain the zest from the mixture.

Assembly: Place the sliced fish in the center of a chilled shallow bowl. Dress the plate with the san bai zu and yuzu pon sauce, and place drops of orange oil around the fish. On top of the fish, line the garlic, black pepper, and maldon salt down the middle of the fish. Garnish with a few leaves of micro arugula and a sprinkle of golden tobiko, and serve.

San Bai Zu

Hon dashi is a type of Japanese fish soup stock that can be found at most Asian food markets.

2 ounces water
1/4 ounce sugar
1 pinch hon dashi
1/4 ounce soy sauce
2-1/4 ounces rice wine vinegar

Heat water and sugar to just below boiling point and then remove from heat. Add hon dashi and mix well to dissolve. Next, add soy and rice wine vinegar. Mix well and refrigerate for later use.