Place black cod
fillets skin side down in a shallow glass baking dish. Sprinkle a generous
layer of salt over the fish, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Rinse the salt from the fish and pat dry. Place fish skin side down in
a clean dish.
Using an electric mixer, beat the kasu paste and sugar until smooth.
Slowly add water and mix until incorporated. Pour the kasu mixture evenly
over the fish, cover, and refrigerate for another 24 hours.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. When the grill is very hot, remove
black cod from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Grill fish
until nicely browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer to individual plates. Serve with Sesame Rice Cakes, Wasabi
Emulsion, steamed choy sum and pickled ginger. Serves 4.
Sesame Rice Cakes
1 cup Japanese short-grain rice
1 1/4 cups water
2 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs white sesame seeds
1 Tbs dark sesame seeds
3 Tbs canola oil
Place rice and water in 2-qt saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue
boiling for 1 minute, then cover pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low
for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Line the bottom of a
6x6 inch baking pan with parchment or waxed paper. Using a rubber spatula,
transfer rice to the pan. Spread the rice out evenly and pack down tightly
to about 3/4 - 1 inch deep. Cool rice in refrigerator.
While the rice is cooking, lightly toast the white and dark sesame
seeds in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Constantly stir or toss
seeds until the white seeds start to become golden, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool.
Preheat over to 350F. When the rice has cooled, carefully invert the
baking pan onto a clean, flat surface. Peel parchment paper from the rice.
Using a 3-inch round cookie-cutter, cut into 4 cakes. You can also cut
into 4 squares or other shapes, as desired. Sprinkle cakes evenly with
sesame seeds and pat lightly. In an ovenproof nonstick pan, heat canola
oil over medium-high heat. Place the cakes seed side down in pan and sear
until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn the cakes over and bake for
3-4 minutes, or until heated through. Service immediately. Serves 4.
Wasabi Emulsion
10 Tbs unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp pickled ginger
1 1/2 Tbs wasabi paste
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs warm water
Kosher salt
Melt butter in a 1-qt saucepan over medium heat, being careful not to
burn. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, ginger, wasabi paste, vinegar and
water in a blender. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the warm
butter. Blend until emulsified. Season with salt to taste. Serve
immediately. Yield: 1 cup.
