So happy we didn’t get the predicted snowfall this winter. Spring is just around the corner. Yippee!
We are eating more fish in our diet than meat these days and Alice Bradley has kindly sent me these following two recipes: Prawn Gyoza and Sake Poached Halibut. Simple to make and very good.
PRAWN GYOZA
5 ounces of chopped, shelled deveined prawns (may be chopped in a food processor, but not too finely)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
16 gyoza wrappers
Combine the ingredients for the filling and chill for 15 minutes to combine flavours.
Divide the filling among the 16 wrappers.
Moisten the edge and fold as for gyozas.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in nonstick skillet until hot.
Arrange the gyozas in the pan and cook over medium heat until nicely browned.
Add 3 tablespoons water to the pan, cover and lower heat and let simmer for about 3-5 minutes until done.
Serve with dipping sauce made of:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon shichimi powder or 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
SAKE POACHED HALIBUT
1 pound halibut, cut in 4 pieces
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup clam juice (from can is OK)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green onions, sliced
Mix the sake, clam juice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil in a wide pot and let simmer about 5 minutes.
Add the halibut pieces and green onions and simmer gently over low heat for about 3-4 minutes, turn and simmer until the halibut is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes, or more depending on the thickness of the fish.
Remove the fish from sauce to a heated plate and cover to keep warm.
Raise the heat on the sauce and boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Pour over the halibut, and sprinkle with a thinly sliced green onion and a 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds.
This recipe can also be made using chopped fresh coriander/cilantro instead of green onions.
CRISP COATED FRIED FISH
The following is a recipe from Fumiko Greenaway’s column in March 1990 and I have used it often.
8 fresh smelts, tails intact
salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Optional coatings:
1 cup fine bread crumbs or panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3/4 cup white or black sesame seeds and or finely chopped peanuts
3 cups vegetable oil
Cut off heads and pull out the guts.
Using scissors, cut undersides of fish up to tail section; cut through backbones at tail ends.
Gently pull out backbones; discard.
Spread fish flat.
Rinse fish under cold running water; drain.
Pat dry with paper toweling.
Sprinkle fish with salt; let stand 10 minutes.
Beat eggs and water.
Place flour in a shallow dish or on wax paper.
Place sesame seeds or panko or any coating you desire in a separate dish or on wax paper.
Dip fish in flour to coat both sides evenly; shake to remove excess flour.
Dip fish in egg mixture, then in either coating of sesame seeds or panko.
Press coating evenly onto both sides of fish.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
Heat oil in over high heat in wok, deep fryer or deep heavy sauce pan.
Adjust heat as necessary to maintain proper frying temperature.
Fry 2 fish at a time: slide each fish into oil, skin side up: fry 2 minutes.
Turn fish over; fry until fish is cooked through and coating is crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove fish; drain on paper toweling.
Keep warm in oven.
Reheat oil to 325 degree F and repeat with remaining fish.
Serve fish immediately with dipping sauce and lemon wedges.
Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon prepared Japanese mustard
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
in small bowl: stir to mix well
Makes 4 servings.
STIR FRIED SEAWEED (HIJIKI)
I love this dish but could never find the recipe to taste like mom used to make. I was incapacitated with my broken ankle and had two delightful Japanese caregivers who cooked for me for 6 weeks and made this for me. I watched how she made it but not in measurements so I finally hunted down the recipe and here it is. It’s a savoury side dish, and full of protein, calcium, vitamin A and traces of minerals and can stay in the fridge for a long time.
1 cup Hijiki (dried bulk seaweed) available at your local Japanese food store.
2 pieces aburage (deep fried soy bean curd)
1-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup dashi
1/4 cup shoyu
2 tablespoons sugar
Soak hikiji in water for 30 minutes, rinse carefully to remove sand.
Drain well.
Pour hot water over aburage to remove excess oil.
Drain well and cut in half lengthwise and then cut in half crosswise into thin julienne strips.
Heat oil in wok or skillet over high heat and add hikiji.
Stir fry over high heat until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Add aburage and mix in well.
Mix together dashi (you may use instant dashi) shoyu and sugar.
Add hikiji and cook over medium heat until liquid is absorbed.
This dish makes 8 servings and can be served hot or cold.
