Sea Bass Japanese Rice with Saka-mushi
These days I feel like I need some comfort food to enjoy some cosy evenings. So I have created a one pot wonder that will let you do just that. Here is a wonderful sea bass recipe to warm you up, it is highly addictive, so be warned! Tai Meshi (sea bass with rice) is today’s wholesome dish that I absolutely love cooking and eating. Especially as it’s simple with very little fuss to make, but is also filled with flavour. It can be enjoyed as a main or starter. It is also a really beautiful dish to serve when you take that lid off at the end!
“The perfect dish for you when you’ve little time to spend cooking, but fancy a treat.”
Coming from the same family of fish, called Tai in Japanese, sea bass and sea bream are much loved in Japan as they are a symbol of celebration. You can often find sea bream served at special occasions like weddings. To congratulate someone you would say ‘Medetai’, it doesn’t translate well into English but when I think of sea bass or bream, it makes me so happy and I think of all the festive times.
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As we all know, fish is so good for us with its high omega three content and as a great source of vitamin D. However, sea bass has added qualities, which is why I love to cook with it. It is low in fat so can help with lowering cholesterol and the Omega-3 fatty acids assist in lowering blood pressure; this is definitely a fish to experiment with. Personally I use the whole fish in this dish, as I feel the bones add a huge amount of flavour. You might prefer to go without the bones, if so I would suggest just using fillets.
I start by steaming some clams with sake “Saka-mushi” and use the beautiful clam juice to cook the rice. You can enjoy the clams as a starter or mix them in with the rice after it has cooked.
Ok, so now it’s your turn to enjoy cooking this comforting dish. the table. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, let me know how you get on.
SAKE CLAM “SAKA-MUSHI” & SEA BASS JAPANESE RICE
Ingredients
- 1kg of Fresh clam (cleaned)
- 200ml Sake
- 200ml water
- 1tbsp of Soya Sauce
- 2 fillets of whole sea bass or sea bream (scaled and boned)
- Two pinches of salt
- 450g Japanese Rice
- 10cm x 10 cm Kombu (Dried Kelp)
- 3 cups of water
- 1tsp Salt
- 2tbs Sake
- 2tbs Soy sauce
- 2tbs Mirin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Chopped Chives
- White toasted sesame seeds
Method
- Rinse the rice with tap water, until the water runs clear. Then cover with cold water. Leave it to soak for at least 30 minutes, two hours is best. This will make the rice soft and fluffy.
- Score the fish on each side. Sprinkle salt over the fish and leave it for 10 minutes.
- Pat dry the fish with some paper towel and put it under the grill for 3 minutes per side. At this stage you do not have cook the fish completely, just until it has an attractive seared colouring. Or you can use blow torch to acheive the same.
- Put the clams into a pot, with the 200ml of sake and 200ml of water. Bring this to a boil. When it starts boiling add 1tbsp of soy sauce and put the lid on, cooking for 1 minute further. Then remove the pot from the heat but keep the lid on and leave for another 1 minute. Don’t over cook the clams, but do check that each is opened and cooked. Leave any that didn’t open. Take out the clams from the stock and set to one side. You can then serve these as a starter on their own, or serve alongside the sea bass rice.
- Measuring the stock it should be around 400ml and you can add a little water to bring the volume up to 550ml. Add the dried kombu to the stock.
- To cook the rice and fish use a large pot around 3 litres in size. Drain the soaked rice and discard the soaking water. Place the rice into the pot and pour over the 550ml of clam stock with the kombu, salt, soy sauce and mirin. Stir, to make sure it is mixed evenly. Then place the grilled fish on top of the rice and stock mixture. Start cooking with a medium heat on the hob.
- As it starts to boil, put the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer over a low heat for a further 9 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat, leaving it to stand for a further 5 minutes before serving.
- Present the dish to the table with the fish intact, as it looks great. Then flake the fish and fold it into the rice. Sprinkle over the chives and sesame seeds as a garnish at the table.
UPCOMING CLASSES
