Chef Josh DeChellis of Sumile-
New York, NY
Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts ichiban dashi (Japanese soup stock
made with kelp and/or dried fish flakes and water. Ichiban dashi
recipe follows, below, or use best quality store-bought possible.)
- 12 ounces skate fillet
- Salt and white pepper
- 1/2 cup tamari shoyu
- 2 cured cherry leaves, rinsed
- 1/4 cup imported, salt-packed cherry blossoms,
rinsed of salt taste
- 2 ounces mirin
- 1 large fresh heart of palm
- 2 ounces cherry blossom vinegar
- 1 cup loosely packed mizuna
- 1 ounce mustard oil
Method:
Heat dashi to 160°F in pan on stove.
Season skate wings with salt and pepper and poach until just tender.
Drain and pat dry.
Boil shoyu, cherry leaves and blossoms with
mirin for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, steep for 15 minutes, then
strain.
Slice the heart of palm into a bowl with the
cherry blossom vinegar and add mizuna. Season with salt, white
pepper and 1/2 ounce of mustard oil.
Gently pull the skate into threads and season
with the cherry blossom shoyu. Place skate in small piles in shallow
bowls and top with heart of palm and mizuna salad. Sauce the bottom
of the bowls with cherry shoyu and mustard oil. Serve at room
temperature.
Ichiban Dashi:
10-centimeter square (10 grams) of konbu or dried kelp
10-20 grams dried katsuobushi or dried bonito tuna flakes
5 cups of water
Wipe kelp with damp paper towel to remove any
dirt. Place water and kelp in medium pot and heat over medium
low flame until kelp floats to surface taking care not to boil.
Remove kelp.
Just before liquid reaches boil add all katsuobushi. After 10
seconds, remove from heat. When katsuobushi starts sinking in
pot, strain through sieve lined with cheesecloth or filter.
Wine Pairing:
Rihaku “Dreamy Clouds” Nigori Tokebetsu Junmai Shimane
