Harvest of the Seas

[garylkoh]

One of the best things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the availability of great seafood. This recipe uses something unusual but easily available here and great at this time of the year - live sea urchins!



If you love sushi, and have never had a live-shucked sea urchin, you need to do it at least once. My wife learned how to do it from Youtube and did all the work on them. Be very careful you don't get poked.



The first time I had a taste, I was shocked at how much better it was than ANY uni I've had at any sushi restaurant. There is a fragrance that almost explodes inside your mouth that I've never had from any restaurant uni.

With live, fresh uni easily available, we had uni pasta for dinner.

Shuck and clean 3 large sea urchins (you get about 2 cups of uni)
Melt half a stick of butter in a large saute pan
About a bulb of chopped garlic
Heaped teaspoon of white miso
Splash of mirin
Stir in the uni and heat through
Add half a cup of cream

The best pasta to go with this extremely rich sauce is angel hair.



Toss the pasta with the sauce and plate.

Grate parmigiano reggiano on top
Sprinkle with finely chopped spring onions (scallion)
Drizzle with yuzu juice to taste

Tonight, we served with manila clams



Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of good olive oil together in a large saute pan
Add a couple of cloves of chopped garlic
Heaped teaspoon of white miso
2 lbs of manila clams (cleaned and live)
Cover and steam until they all open

Remove the clams to a warmed bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche
Reduce to thicken the sauce

Once the sauce is reduced enough, add a splash of cognac and flambe
Pour the sauce over the cooked clams and serve

 

[LL21]

Gary,

I am totally with you on this...hated sea urchin the first time I tried it. like a mushy old sponge. Then my wife took me to Tsukiji Market, the main commercial fishing dock of Tokyo in the middle of the night when the ships are coming in...and we ate in one of the little restaurants by the docks. Sea urchin is like cream, with loads of flavour, lite, fragrant. Sensational. I'm a convert...but a picky one. i'm still not eating old sponges.

Nice one that you can find fish et al so fresh!

In fact, we are heading to the main commercial fishing docks here on early early Sat am to see what we can find, after having sushi at a place with only 7 seats where the chef runs everything himself with his wife...and his sea urchin was so close to Tsukiji...turns out he goes to this commercial fishing market, so we are going to check it out. Comparing his fish to Tsukiji was like Gryphon vs Vitus, or Wilson vs...ok, ok enough with the audio parallels! I will let you know if we have good fishing at the market...

 

[rockitman]

You are quite the gourmet Gary. That looks delicious !

 

[garylkoh]

Music and food - two of the sensuous pleasures of life. One of my dreams is to have a Genesis shiwroom built with an open kitchen, so that we can entertain dealers and customers with great music and great food and wine.

I'm just working on my collection of recipes.

 

[LL21]

Just returned from the commercial fish market...arrived at 4a and just got back. About 10kg of fresh seafood! Whole salmon (2 feet long), 2kg super-large shrimp (each size of small banana), 1kg large scallops (each size of golf ball), sea bream, mackerel, yellowtail.

 

[JackD201]

Gary: WOW!

Lloyd: Try butter poaching them shrimps!

 

[LL21]

Gary: WOW!

Lloyd: Try butter poaching them shrimps!

Hey Jack...entirely up to my wife. After speaking with the fishermen just to make sure, I think its sashimi for breakfast! Japanese grilled fished for lunch, Chinese steamed salmon with ginger/scallions/soy sauce tonite...

 

[garylkoh]

Lloyd, what a haul - sounds like you have the requisite ingredients for a seafood soup.

My favorite recipe:

de-shell the shrimp (keeping the shells and heads)

de-vein and then marinate the shrimp in a mix of sugar and salt (makes them crispy)

heat a large wok over high heat, add a couple tbsp of oil, and when nearly smoking, fry the shells until the shells are really crispy
toss in 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes
strain to get the fried prawn-shell stock

heat up 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat
when the water boils
add carrots (peeled and diced), a large sweet onion (peeled and quartered), a couple of celery sticks, and one sweet corn (de-husked and halved)
turn up the heat to boil
add 2 large tomatoes quartered
when the stock boils again, reduce to a simmer
pour in the strained shrimp-shell stock

toast a couple of pinches of saffron - add to stock

using a potato peeler, peel the rind of one organic orange and add to stock

add a splash of oloroso sherry to the stock

simmer for 20 minutes

Turn up the heat and add slowly in order (allowing the stock to re-heat up in between but do not boil):
1) a couple of chunks of mackerel
2) a couple of chunks of sea bream
3) a couple of chunks of salmon
4) a few de-shelled large shrimp
5) a few scallops

Salt to taste. Enjoy with a crusty baguette.

 

[garylkoh]

Hey Jack...entirely up to my wife. After speaking with the fishermen just to make sure, I think its sashimi for breakfast! Japanese grilled fished for lunch, Chinese steamed salmon with ginger/scallions/soy sauce tonite...

Hmmm.... I would have thought that the sea bream would be better for Chinese steamed fish with ginger/scallions/soy sauce than salmon which is too strong and oily.

 

[LL21]

Hmmm.... I would have thought that the sea bream would be better for Chinese steamed fish with ginger/scallions/soy sauce than salmon which is too strong and oily.

Yes...most people as you know traditionally use seabass for this dish...but I prefer it with salmon because the oil from the salmon mixes EXTREMELY well with the soysauce (imho)... It is a stronger fish meat and I feel makes more of the soy sauce than the more delicate fish do.

 

[garylkoh]

Yes...most people as you know traditionally use seabass for this dish...but I prefer it with salmon because the oil from the salmon mixes EXTREMELY well with the soysauce (imho)... It is a stronger fish meat and I feel makes more of the soy sauce than the more delicate fish do.

Interesting - I might try that over the weekend.

 

[LL21]

Interesting - I might try that over the weekend.

Let me know what you think...just so I am clear, when I steam the salmon
- I tend to use lots of ginger and scallions on top of the fish
- steam in a wok. I put the fish with the ginger/scallions in a deep dish that is placed on top of a bamboo or steel tray with slats/holes...all inside the covered wok.
- i put the water that gets heated/steamed in the wok (not the deep dish or else the fish gets boiled instead of steamed)
- I take soy sauce, ginger, scallions, bit of sugar, cooking sherry and gently warming during the steaming which tends to take 8-15 minutes depending on how much salmon and how thick
- once cooked, you will see the salmon has released a fair amount of water/oils...just pour the soy sauce on top and allow it to mix with this water/fish oil mix

quite nice.

 

[LL21]

Lloyd, what a haul - sounds like you have the requisite ingredients for a seafood soup.

My favorite recipe:

de-shell the shrimp (keeping the shells and heads)

de-vein and then marinate the shrimp in a mix of sugar and salt (makes them crispy)

heat a large wok over high heat, add a couple tbsp of oil, and when nearly smoking, fry the shells until the shells are really crispy
toss in 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes
strain to get the fried prawn-shell stock

heat up 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat
when the water boils
add carrots (peeled and diced), a large sweet onion (peeled and quartered), a couple of celery sticks, and one sweet corn (de-husked and halved)
turn up the heat to boil
add 2 large tomatoes quartered
when the stock boils again, reduce to a simmer
pour in the strained shrimp-shell stock

toast a couple of pinches of saffron - add to stock

using a potato peeler, peel the rind of one organic orange and add to stock

add a splash of oloroso sherry to the stock

simmer for 20 minutes

Turn up the heat and add slowly in order (allowing the stock to re-heat up in between but do not boil):
1) a couple of chunks of mackerel
2) a couple of chunks of sea bream
3) a couple of chunks of salmon
4) a few de-shelled large shrimp
5) a few scallops

Salt to taste. Enjoy with a crusty baguette.

Wow!! Quite cool! I know my wife has in mind:
- Scallops sashimi with lime
- Yellow tail with soy sauce and miso
- Salmon - Chinese steamed with ginger/scallions/soy sauce
- Shrimp - multiple ways
- Mackeral - Japanese grill...grilled to a fine crisp
- Sea Bream - TBD?
- And with the fact that we've got some much of everything...we can also try your recipe as well!

 

[garylkoh]

Let me know what you think...just so I am clear, when I steam the salmon
- I tend to use lots of ginger and scallions on top of the fish
- steam in a wok. I put the fish with the ginger/scallions in a deep dish that is placed on top of a bamboo or steel tray with slats/holes...all inside the covered wok.
- i put the water that gets heated/steamed in the wok (not the deep dish or else the fish gets boiled instead of steamed)
- I take soy sauce, ginger, scallions, bit of sugar, cooking sherry and gently warming during the steaming which tends to take 8-15 minutes depending on how much salmon and how thick
- once cooked, you will see the salmon has released a fair amount of water/oils...just pour the soy sauce on top and allow it to mix with this water/fish oil mix

quite nice.

Here's the Chinese restaurant secret steaming method:

You need a big wok, water and the bamboo steamer as you mentioned above.

In a deep plate, place a few thick slices of ginger and a couple of whole scallions.

Place the fish on top of the ginger/scallions. This keeps the fish off the plate and so allows the fish to cook more evenly.

If the fish was not alive just before you started cooking, also place a couple of slices of ginger and scallions on top of the fish (and in the body cavity if it is a whole fish).

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine on top of the fish.

Make sure that the water in the wok is vigorously boiling before you put the fish in. Cover and steam for 8-15 minutes as you said. If the fish is whole and about 1 1/2-inches thick, it will take 11 minutes. Increase and reduce not for the size of the fish, but the thickness at the thickest part.

In the meantime, heat until nearly smoking a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil, add a drizzle of sesame oil. (I use a little frying pan). Be careful it doesn't catch on fire.

The soya-sauce that is used by Chinese restaurants is seasoned with fa-tui wine and yellow rock sugar. The bottled ones is a very good substitute: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kum-Seasoned-Sauce-Seafood/dp/B0000DJYWR



There is a premium version from the Chinese grocery. Heat up half a cup of it. I like to add a bit more more Aged Shao Shing wine and rock sugar.

Once the fish is steamed, pour away the water that has accumulated. Throw away the scallons and ginger slices.

Now, place the julienne ginger and scallions on top of the fish.

Pour the hot oil all over the fish, ginger and scallions (it will sizzle).

Pour the heated seasoned soya sauce over the fish.

Serve with piping hot rice.

 

[LL21]

Here's the Chinese restaurant secret steaming method:

You need a big wok, water and the bamboo steamer as you mentioned above.

In a deep plate, place a few thick slices of ginger and a couple of whole scallions.

Place the fish on top of the ginger/scallions. This keeps the fish off the plate and so allows the fish to cook more evenly.

If the fish was not alive just before you started cooking, also place a couple of slices of ginger and scallions on top of the fish (and in the body cavity if it is a whole fish).

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine on top of the fish.

Make sure that the water in the wok is vigorously boiling before you put the fish in. Cover and steam for 8-15 minutes as you said. If the fish is whole and about 1 1/2-inches thick, it will take 11 minutes. Increase and reduce not for the size of the fish, but the thickness at the thickest part.

In the meantime, heat until nearly smoking a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil, add a drizzle of sesame oil. (I use a little frying pan). Be careful it doesn't catch on fire.

The soya-sauce that is used by Chinese restaurants is seasoned with fa-tui wine and yellow rock sugar. The bottled ones is a very good substitute: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kum-Seasoned-Sauce-Seafood/dp/B0000DJYWR

View attachment 12616

There is a premium version from the Chinese grocery. Heat up half a cup of it. I like to add a bit more more Aged Shao Shing wine and rock sugar.

Once the fish is steamed, pour away the water that has accumulated. Throw away the scallons and ginger slices.

Now, place the julienne ginger and scallions on top of the fish.

Pour the hot oil all over the fish, ginger and scallions (it will sizzle).

Pour the heated seasoned soya sauce over the fish.

Serve with piping hot rice.

I'm getting hungry just reading it, Gary!! Thanks!

 

[LL21]

Here's the Chinese restaurant secret steaming method:

You need a big wok, water and the bamboo steamer as you mentioned above.

In a deep plate, place a few thick slices of ginger and a couple of whole scallions.

Place the fish on top of the ginger/scallions. This keeps the fish off the plate and so allows the fish to cook more evenly.

If the fish was not alive just before you started cooking, also place a couple of slices of ginger and scallions on top of the fish (and in the body cavity if it is a whole fish).

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine on top of the fish.

Make sure that the water in the wok is vigorously boiling before you put the fish in. Cover and steam for 8-15 minutes as you said. If the fish is whole and about 1 1/2-inches thick, it will take 11 minutes. Increase and reduce not for the size of the fish, but the thickness at the thickest part.

In the meantime, heat until nearly smoking a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil, add a drizzle of sesame oil. (I use a little frying pan). Be careful it doesn't catch on fire.

The soya-sauce that is used by Chinese restaurants is seasoned with fa-tui wine and yellow rock sugar. The bottled ones is a very good substitute: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kum-Seasoned-Sauce-Seafood/dp/B0000DJYWR

View attachment 12616

There is a premium version from the Chinese grocery. Heat up half a cup of it. I like to add a bit more more Aged Shao Shing wine and rock sugar.

Once the fish is steamed, pour away the water that has accumulated. Throw away the scallons and ginger slices.

Now, place the julienne ginger and scallions on top of the fish.

Pour the hot oil all over the fish, ginger and scallions (it will sizzle).

Pour the heated seasoned soya sauce over the fish.

Serve with piping hot rice.

Gary - the one main difference is we do not throw away the accumulated water when we add the soy sauce...and since we are cooking closer to 8-10 minutes, the amount of soy sauce we are heating up gently blends nicely with the amount of water that is in the dish with the fish after steaming...but I cannot say hot to measure ...I just know from having it done it over years. Its pretty much the only real 'dish' I know how to make. Fortunately, my wife likes it.