by MK Burnell

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What could be better than pairing sashimi with caviar? This dish can serve as a refreshing appetizer or a lighter main dish. Serve with chilled saki, white wine or champagne.

Yellowtail Tartare with Payusnaya
Recipe courtesy of California Caviar Company
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound sashimi grade Yellowtail tuna
• 1 Tablespoon grape seed oil, or another oil which is light in flavor
• 2 Tablespoon chives, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 oz Pepin Payusnaya (pressed caviar)
• Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

With a very sharp knife, dice the yellowtail into ¼" thick pieces. Toss with olive oil, chives, lemon zest, salt & pepper. Shape into a disc or place in mold to shape. Place pressed caviar between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out to 1/8" thick. With the mold or a cookie cutter, cut out a disc the same size and place on top of tartare.

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Clam Miso Soup, a delightful way to step into Spring. Light, satisfying, and deliciously flavored to tempt the most discerning gourmand. This creative slant on a classic Japanese dish is worthy of top billing for your next Seduction Meal. Serve with a chilled glass of premium Saki and toast to your good fortune.

Miso soup is a staple in Japan, where it can be found at breakfast, lunch, or dinner meals, usually served in a small bowl to the side of the main dish.  Miso is an excellent source of protein, and so this soup is a great source of low-fat energy.  Many people make miso soup using instant soup or instant dashi packets.  Unfortunately these products usually contain a great deal of salt and MSG.  Making dashi from scratch is quite easy, and once you've done that you're half way to being done with the soup.

What is miso?
Miso is fermented tofu.  As the tofu ferments it becomes a richly flavored, aromatic paste that is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Which miso should I use in my soup?
There are two commonly found types of miso: light miso, and dark miso.  You can actually use either in miso soup with great results.  Light miso has a milder flavor that the Japanese like to use in miso soup served in the morning with breakfast or in the afternoon.  It is commonly paired with silken or fried tofu, green onions, and sometimes seaweed.  Dark miso (aka red miso) has been fermented longer, and has a much more robust flavor.  Miso soups made with dark miso are usually served in the evening at dinner.  You sometimes find stronger flavored ingredients in these evening miso soups, such as baby clams.

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One of Nobu's signature dishes--black miso cod is pure seduction to one's palette. Those in the know are grateful that he has shared this recipe which can be found on many blogs, in magazines, websites and of course Nobu's cookbooks.

As a frenzied fan of Nobu's culinary mastery, I've visited his restaurants in LA, Miami, and of course NY. From a quick search online I see he has 15 restaurants including hot spots in Tokyo, Melbourne, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Vegas and Aspen. Nobu New York, the flagship restaurant of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, has been a pioneer for Japanese cuisine since its opening in 1994. Nobu partnered with actor Robert De Niro, producer Meir Teper, restaurateur Drew Nieporent, and managing partner Richard Notar to bring his modern Japanese to Tribeca. Nobu draws upon his classical training at sushi bars in Tokyo and his life abroad in Peru, Argentina, and around the world to create a whole new trend in Japanese cuisine. The resulting dishes, including Tiradito Nobu Style, Yellowtail with Jalapeno, Squid Pasta, and Black Cod with Miso, make Nobu the innovator of new style Japanese food.

So without further ado, here is one great recipe from master Chef Nobu. 



Nobu's Black Cod with Miso
serves 4

Note: I had a hard time finding Hajikami so I served this with a very seasonal side dish: Fiddlehead Ferns. Also, Nobu's instructions say to leave the fish marinating in the Miso paste for 2-3 days. Given my more immediate needs for a culinary seduction meal now....I tried this with a 8 hour marinade, hoping it would work out fine.  It was a big hit--seduction mission accomplished!

4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound (230g) each
3 cups (800g) Nobu-style Saikyo Miso (see below)
1 stalk hajikami per serving*

Nobu-Style Saikyo Miso
3/4 cup mirin*
1/2 cup sake
2 cups white miso paste*
1 cup sugar

*All Asian ingredients: mirin, white miso and hajikami, can be found in Japanese markets and select specialty stores, or you can try Asian Food Grocer. Hajikami garnish pickled ginger shoot; if you can't find this you can subsititute it with regular sliced pickled ginger may.

If you can't find Hajikami there is a recipe for it below. I takes 12 hours to pickle the ginger.

miso marinade
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the mirin and sake and boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Add the miso paste and stir with a wooden spoon until it dissolves completely. Add the sugar, raise the heat to high, and stir continuously until it has dissolved completely. Remove the pan from the heat and leave at room temperature until the mixture has cooled completely.

marinating the fish (suggested time: 2 - 3 days)
Pat the fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with Nobu-style Saikyo Miso and place in a nonreactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to steep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

cooking the cod
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and preheat a grill or broiler. Lightly wipe off any excess Miso clinging to the fillets but don't rinse it off. Place the fish on the grill, or in a broiler pan, and grill or broil until the surface of the fish turns brown. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

plating the dish
Arrange the black cod fillets on individual plates and garnish with hajikami. Add a few extra drops of Nobu's Miso sauce to each plate.

hajikami ginger pickled in sweet vinegar (ama-zu)
Remove any sand and debris and cut the ginger into 6-inch (15-cm) lengths. Briefly plunge the ginger into a pot of boiling water to which rice vinegar has been added (1 Tbsp. per 1 quart/liter water). Drain and sprinkle thoroughly with sea salt. Let cool to room temperature. Leave for 12 hours to pickle in ama-zu which has been diluted 100% with water.

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Another amazing Seduction Meal sent to us by CM Harrington -- clearly a special invitation would be to dine with Mr. Harrington. It's hard not to swoon over a guy that can cook so well! This dish is a great start to any meal if you want to set the tone for an exquisite gourmet rendezvous with a bit of fire.

"I typically make this dish as a starter to my tuna and soba dish (see Seduction Meal recipes - main dishes). Many of the ingredients are the same for both dishes so its easy to prepare at the same time and a great way to start your evening's culinary adventure."



spicy tuna tartare recipe

potato chip garnish

1 medium size sweet potato or white potato

Using a mandolin so you can get really thin slices. Slice a few slices from the center of the potato to yield a nice size round slice. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet under high heat. When hot, turn to medium high and cook the 4 potato slices until golden brown. Turn over and cook other side. When the potato has turned into a beautifully crispy potato chip, remove from the skillet and place on a cookie rack, letting it air dry on all sides. Place a napkin under the chip to catch the oil.

dipping sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons of Yuzu
pinch of red hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of sake

Mix all ingredients together. Set aside

spicy tuna tartare

1/2 lb of sushi grade Ahi tuna
Thai chili sauce
Small bit of soy based Japanese Mayonnaise

Chop tuna, using the double cleaver method or a good chef's knife. Cut tuna into 1/8 inch cubes, do not cut into a paste, we are looking to manage and cut the tuna into little chunks. Add the Thai sauce and Japanese mayonnaise; mix well.

plating the dish

Take the dipping sauce and skim coat your serving dish. Place a mound of tuna tartare in the center of the plate; add micro greens (bean

sprouts) as a garnish on the side, and top tuna with a strategically placed potato chip.

Pour two cups of sake and Bonsai!



Note: You can buy the Japanese mayo, yuzu and Thai chili in gourmet markets, Asian markets / grocery stores or online.

Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit that is quite tart in flavor and is about the size of a tangerine

Japanese Mayo is made of vegetable oil, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, monosodium glutamate, spices and contains egg. How cute is that kewpie image on the package!

Thai chili paste can be bought; I prefer the Mae Pranom brand with the Rooster on it, or you can make home-made Thai chili sauce. Homemade is always best!

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This wonderfully presented dish was submitted by CM Harrington. A Seduction Meal indeed, I can't wait to try this!

"They key to this dish is in the timing. Measure and prepare all ingredients and set before you "mis en place" to keep things moving along. There are three parts to assemble--the Dashi broth, the soba noodles and the seared tuna."


































photo: CM Harrington


seared tuna and soba recipe

broth - Dashi, or Japanese Fish Broth
1 cup of water
3 - 4 pieces of Dashi Kombu (kelp) used only for flavor and then removed
1/2 cup Bonito flakes
1 cup of sake

Dashi is a broth and a staple used in many Japanese dishes. To make the broth, mix together the water, kombu and bonito flakes in a medium pot.

Bring broth to a boil over medium heat and cook until the volume is reduced in half; 10 - 15 minutes, remove from heat. Avoid boiling with kelp, and don't let the bonito flakes steep for too long --both could result in bitterness.
Strain the broth through a sieve to remove food parts, discard.
Place liquid back in pot, while still warm, add sake. Keep broth warm over super low heat.
Next prepare the noodles.

soba noodles

1 package of soba noodles
I prefer wild yam or lotus root for the added flavor they impart
cook as directed, be sure not to over cook

tuna

1 lb sushi grade Ahi Tuna (I get mine at Wild Edibles)

Make a Rub by mixing together a pinch or two of Chinese 5 Spice, Chili powder, black pepper, a very little bit of salt. Prepare enough to coat the piece of fish on each side.

Micro-greens/sprouts for taste and garnish


Start by rubbing olive oil over entire tuna and coat all sides of the tuna with the rub.

Place cast iron skillet over high heat--we will sear the tuna. Do not put anything in the skillet; just get it nice and hot.

Turn down the heat to medium and place fish in skillet. Tuna and salmon have built in thermometers in that you can see how the fish is prepared by watching the white cooked fish rise from the heat up. We preferred seared tuna for this dish, but you can cook this to your preference.

Cook fish 1-4 minutes on all sides. When cooked to your liking, remove from skillet and place on cutting board. With a very sharp carving knife cut the fish across the grain in thin slices--the thinner the better.

plating the dish

This works best in a dish that has a little depth (see photo). We used Joseph Abboud bowl and plate.

Place noodles in the center of the dish; go for the sculptural effect you often find in restaurants by placing the noodles in the dish with some height.

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the broth over the noodles. The idea is not to completely cover the noodles in broth so measure the broth based on the serving dish you are using.

Place thinly sliced tuna over the noodles and garnish with micro greens (bean sprouts)

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