Community Kitchen

Alice Bradley came over with this recipe for fish baked in parchment paper with vegetables and we both tried it and had it for lunch, It was very good and a novel way to entertain since the preparation can be done ahead and just pop it in the oven as guests arrive and cooking while enjoying their hors d’oeuvres.

FISH BAKED IN PARCHMENT – ASIAN STYLE

Marinade:
2 tablespoons sake
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

4 pieces whitefish, about 5 ounces each (halibut, cod, snapper etc.) I used halibut.
1 leek, about 3 inches long, white part only, julienned into 3 inch matchstick size
1/2 carrot, about 3 inches long, julienned into 3 inch matchstick size
10 to 12 pod peas, sliced thinly to matchstick pieces
4-6 fresh shiitake, stem removed, sliced thinly (dried could be used also, softened)
4 slices lemon
4 teaspoons butter or margarine
Thinly sliced green onion or chives

Prepare marinade and marinade the fish for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut a piece of parchment paper, about 16 inches square, fold in half, trim off the corners so that you have a half oval, open.
On one half of the paper (on one side of the crease) arrange:
one quarter of the leeks,
then, 1/4 of the carrots.
1/4 of the pea pods,
lastly, 4-5 pieces of shitakke.
Place one piece of fish on top of the vegetables, arrange 3 slices of shitakke on top,
then, one slice of lemon,
1 teaspoon butter or margarine,
and last, a sprinkle of chives or green onions.
Repeat with 3 more pieces of paper.
Spoon some of the marinade on top of each equally among the pieces.
Fold over the second half of the paper and starting at one corner, fold over by 1/2 inch and fold over again, then make another fold, slightly overlapping the first (this fold will be triangular in shape) and
keep making little overlapping folds until you reach the other end. Give the paper an extra twist and it would stay in place.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes for 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick fillets and slightly longer,
about 12 – 14 minutes, for thicker pieces (3/4 – 1 inch thick). Remove from oven and let it rest 3 minutes,
Serve by placing on a plate and carefully cutting the package open with scissors and eat off the paper (novelty} or open in the kitchen and slide the contents onto the plate.

BASIC JAPANESE SALAD SAUCES
My daughter, Michele treated me to lunch at Shota Sushi Japanese restaurant in Kerrisdale today and they served a salad with a delicious sesame dressing. It was so good I came home and looked for the recipe in my Japanese cook books and found it in the Canadian Japanese Cookery book put out by Kamloops JCCA. The plate of Alaska Roll was truly delicious and the place had framed dignitaries comments on the wall—I noticed Michael J. Fox and Marcus Naslund’s from where I was sitting.

GOMASU: 2 Tbsp. sugar. 3 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 Tbsp. ground sesame seed.

AMAZU: 1 Tbsp. mirin, 2 Tbsp sugar, 3 Tbsp. vinegar , 1-1/2 tsp. salt (with my sweet tooth, I like this one too).

SANBAIZU: 1 Tbsp. shoyu, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 3 Tbsp. vinegar.

NIHAIZU: 2 Tbsp. shoyu, 3 Tbsp. vinegar, 1-1/2 tsp. salt (no sweetness)

MISOSU: 100 gm. shiro miso, 1-2 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 cup dashi, 2-3 Tbsp. vinegar or 50-75 gm. aka miso, 2-1/2 -3 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 cup dashi, 2-3 Tbsp. vinegar.

Emi Matsuda gave me the above recipe and she served it on leaf lettuce and the family loved it.

CABBAGE TSUKEMONO
Found this in the cookbook too, and I love tsukemono recipes.

1 medium head cabbage

Brine:
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Enough water to fill an 8-oz. cup
1/2 tsp. dashi no moto

Shred cabbage in 1/4 -inch strips. Pour brine over the cabbage and cover with a plate and weight it down for two days.
Squeeze in the brine a few times. Drain and squeeze dry. Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!