Japanese Inspired Fish

Everyone knows I really enjoy True Food Kitchen. They have some great dishes that I don't feel too guilty eating. JC and I make their Tuscan Kale Salad on a regular basis, and now we have another dish to add to our recipe book.

One of my favorite entrees is their Miso Glazed Black Cod. It is slightly sweet with a definite Japanese influence. The cod stays nice and juicy, and it is served on a bed of bok choy with mushrooms. I was thumbing through Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking which is a great cookbook for anyone that wants to try simple Japanese cooking at home. Her recipe for Poached Red Sea Bream caught my attention because it reminded me a lot of the dish at True Food Kitchen, sans the miso. I decided to give it a try since it calls for a very short list of ingredients, and it blew me out of the water. This dish tastes exactly like the Miso Glazed Black Cod. The fish retains its moisture in the sauce and is just a tad sweet. I also threw in some oyster mushrooms and served it with a side of wakame seaweed as Harumi suggests. I also substituted black cod since they did not carry red sea bream at the store. We served it over a bed of stir-fried bok choy.

Poached Red Sea Bream
from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking by Harumi Kurihara

• 1 lb red sea bream (I substituted black cod)
• 1/4 c. sake (I substituted rice wine)
• 1/4 c. mirin
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. water
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, sliced

1. Cut each fish fillet into 3-4 pieces
2. In a large shallow pan, mix together the sake, mirin, soy sauce, water, and sugar and bring it to a boil. Add the fish pieces into the broth, taking care to arrange them so they sit side by side. Sprinkle the sliced ginger over the fish.
3. Back back to boil, cover with drop lid made from foil or wax paper (*see below) and simmer for 5-6 minutes. When the liquid has reduced to just less than half, turn off the heat and leave for a short while for the fish to absorb some of the remaining liquid. 
4. Remove the fish and ginger from the pan and place on a serving dish. Pour over any remaining sauce from the pan. 

*Drop Lid (Otoshibuta) according to Harumi: "Traditionally, drop lids were made of wood. They are placed in a pan, directly on top of food as it cooks. It is a technique frequently used in Japanese cooking to ensure even distribution of flavor. These days, most households use lids made of aluminum foil or greaseproof paper with a hole in the middle. You can fashion a disk easily, making sure it is slightly smaller than the inside of the pan. It is a different way of cooking but it is very useful and very Japanese."