Tag: fish
Saba Misoni
Saba Misoni
Mackerel is a staple fish in Japanese cuisine. They are inexpensive, nutrient dense, and are quite tasty. You can find mackerel fillets at any Asian market. I purchased mine at a small Korean market that is less than 2 blocks away from me. They came in a box of 6 individually quick frozen fillets for only $10.Saba misoni are mackerel fillets stewed in a miso broth that also contains sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger. This dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and only 15 minutes to cook. Since mackerel is a strong flavored fish, the miso broth helps cut through the pungent fishiness. This dish is best served with steamed rice to sop up all of the sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless mackerel fillets cut in half
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 tbsp miso paste
Instructions
- Mix the water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger together.
- Pour the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Place the mackerel skin side up. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Scoop out a 1/4 cup of the sauce and mix with the miso paste in a small bowl.
- Pour the miso into the saucepan. Flip the mackerel so they are all flesh side up.
- Simmer uncovered for another 7 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
Tuna Empanadas
Tuna Empanadas
I’m a huge fan of empanadas and their various forms. These tuna empanadas are quite exquisite. There just isn’t any old can of tuna in the filling. I like to use this fancy Mexican brand of tuna that is actually whole chunks of yellowfin. It only costs $1 more than your Starkist or Chicken of the Sea and is light years ahead in quality. The dough to these empanadas has ancho chili powder in it. You can find ancho chili powder in your grocery store’s international aisle in the spice section. You can also use a whole dried ancho chili pepper and either grind it in a spice grinder or soak it in warm water for 25 minutes, then purée it in a blender. Either way is good. You can skip adding the ancho all together, but it does give the dough a nice color and some added flavor.You will need to use a tortilla press to flatten the dough. I like to take a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut it apart in 2 pieces to use as a barrier for the press. Place a dough ball in the center of the press on top of one of the plastic sheets. Place the other sheet over the top. Flatten the dough ball to a little less than 1/4” thick. Take off the top plastic sheet. Place 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the dough. Using the bottom plastic sheet, fold the dough over in half, crimping the edges. Now you have an empanada. The empanadas only take 4 minutes a side to fry. Serve them on a bed of shredded cabbage with the hot sauce of your choosing. You can make large batches of the empanadas and freeze them down on a baking sheet. Store them in freezer bags.
Equipment
- tortilla press
Ingredients
Empanada Filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 can yellowfin tuna drained
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Empanada Dough
- 1 cup masa flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the tuna and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
- Mix together all of the dough ingredients. Roll into 6 equal sized balls.
Empanada Assembly
- Place a dough ball on the center of a tortilla press. I like to cut apart a gallon sized ziplock bag to use as a barrier for the press.
- Mash it down to 1/4” thick.
- Place a couple of tbsp of the filling in the center of the dough.
- Using the bottom piece of the ziplock bag, fold the dough over the center and crimp the edges.
- Make the rest of the empanadas and let sit on parchment paper.
- Heat up a 1/4” deep of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the empanadas in the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 4 minutes a side.
Thai Steamed Fish with Lime and Garlic
Steamed Fish with Lime and Garlic
Pla gapong nueng manao is a classic Thai dish of steamed fish with lime and garlic. Traditionally, a whole barramundi fish is used in this recipe, but trout, tilapia, or snapper are all suitable replacements. This dish is very simple to prepare and only takes 15 minutes to cook. Make 2-3 cuts on each side of the fish, depending on its size. Stuff each cut and the inside cavity with pieces of lemongrass. Place the fish on a plate inside of a 12” bamboo steamer. A 1lb fish will take 12 minutes to steam; 1 1/2lbs will take 15 minutes. While the fish is steaming, fill a small bowl with garlic, chilies, cilantro, and palm sugar. Bring a 1/2 cup of chicken stock to boil, pouring over the ingredients in the bowl. Let it steep for 30 seconds. Mix in the lime juice and fish sauce. Pour the sauce over the whole fish. Serve the fish with steamed rice.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- bamboo steamer basket
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs whole fish trout, tilapia, barramundi, snapper
- 1 stalk lemongrass pounded and cut into 1” pieces
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp palm sugar chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 bird’s eye chilies finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- Make 2 cuts on each side of the fish. Stuff each cut with a piece of lemongrass. Stuff the cavity with the rest of the lemongrass. Place the fish on a plate inside a steamer basket.
- Steam the fish for 12-15 minutes.
- While the fish is steaming, bring 1/2 cup of chicken stock to a boil. Fill a bowl with the garlic, chilies, cilantro, and palm sugar. Pour over the chicken stock. Mix in the lime juice and fish sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the steamed fish.
