"Sashimi That Isn't: A Star Is Born"
September 12, 2001, New York Times

SEAFOOD CEVICHE

4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons yuzu juice or lime juice (see note)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon finely grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon aji amarillo paste, other chili paste or hot sauce, or to taste
8 ounces seafood in small pieces: raw flounder or sea bass, raw scallop, cooked shrimp, cooked squid, cooked octopus
16 mini-tomatoes, preferably several colors, halved
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 teaspoons minced cilantro leaves
Cilantro sprigs for garnish.

1. Combine lemon juice, yuzu juice, sea salt, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, pepper and chili paste in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Lightly mix seafood with tomatoes, cucumber, onion and minced cilantro in a large bowl. Fold in lemon juice mixture.

3. Transfer to a serving dish or plates, garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Note: The juice of yuzu, a tart Japanese yellow citrus, is sold at Japanese food shops and can be preserved with a little added salt. At Katagiri, 224 East 59th Street, it is $7.99 for 3.3 ounces.

September 19, 2001, New York Times

CILANTRO SOUP WITH MONKFISH

1 1/2 strips konbu
1 scant cup dried bonito flakes
1 tablespoon sake
2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce
Sea salt
9 ounces monkfish
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons arrowroot
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 teaspoons finely minced cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chives cut in 2-inch lengths
4 thin slices lime.

1. Place konbu in saucepan with 4 cups water over medium heat. Slowly heat to not quite boiling. Adjust heat so this takes about 10 minutes. Immediately remove konbu and discard. Add bonito flakes. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. When flakes sink to bottom of pot, strain broth through fine sieve lined with coffee filter or paper towel. Transfer broth to clean saucepan.

2. Bring broth to a boil. Add sake and soy sauce. Season to taste with salt. Remove from heat.

3. Cut monkfish in 1/2-inch slices. Season with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with arrowroot.

4. Place oil in deep-fryer, deep saucepan or wok. Bring to about 350 degrees and deep-fry monkfish until crisp and golden, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towel and place 2 to 3 slices fish in center of each of 4 warm shallow soup plates.

5. Reheat broth. Add cilantro. Pour over monkfish. Top fish with a cluster of chives and slice of lime and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

September 26, 2001, New York Times

SPICY SOUR BOTAN SHRIMP

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste with garlic (sold in Asian stores)
2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce
8 fresh jumbo shrimp, each about 1 1/2 ounces: botan, Santa Barbara or tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 branch broccoli, stem removed, cut in small florets
2 tablespoons clarified butter
3 1/2 ounces enoki mushrooms
10 chives cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces.

1. Combine lemon juice, chili paste and soy sauce, and set aside.

2. Briefly rinse shrimp in cold water, drain them, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Have a medium-size bowl of ice water ready. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add pinch of salt. Add broccoli, and cook 1 1/2 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice water. Drain well.

4. Place a medium-size skillet over high heat. Add butter. Add shrimp, and saute, turning once, until shrimp are nearly cooked through and opaque, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice mixture. Stir-fry briefly. Remove shrimp from pan with a slotted spoon, draining well. Cook liquid in pan over high heat a minute or two, until reduced and slightly thickened. Add broccoli, mushrooms, chives and shrimp. Stir-fry to coat with sauce. Transfer to serving dish and serve.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

October 3, 2001, New York Times

WATERCRESS AND BLACK SESAME SALAD

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 bunch watercress, 8 ounces, rinsed
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
20 daikon radish curls or thin slices fresh hearts of palm
8 carrot curls.

1. Lightly toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Set aside.

2. Remove leaves from watercress and reserve in large mixing bowl. Coarsely chop stems. Place 1/2 cup stems in saucepan of water to cover, bring to a boil, drain and plunge into ice water. Drain well, squeezing out all moisture, and place in blender. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. Puree.

3. Finely mince remaining stems. Mix with dressing. Pour over leaves, add half the sesame seeds and toss.

4. Divide among four salad plates, or arrange on a single large serving dish. Garnish with daikon and carrot. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

October 10, 2001, New York Times

SQUID PASTA WITH LIGHT GARLIC SAUCE

Sea salt
1 cup broccoli florets in small pieces
6 ounces cleaned squid (3 medium)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
4 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
6 medium-thin asparagus spears, slant-cut in 2-inch pieces
Shichimi togarashi (Japanese mixed ground spices, sold in Asian stores) to taste.

1. Bring small saucepan of water to a boil; add pinch of salt. Add broccoli, boil 1 1/2 minutes, drain and transfer to bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.

2. Pull tentacles from squid and discard or set aside for another use. Use kitchen shears to cut bodies lengthwise. Open squid, rinse, pat dry and place flat on cutting board. Use sharp knife or Japanese or Chinese cleaver to score each piece vertically, making cuts very close together, like ribs on rigatoni, but taking care not to cut completely through squid. Cut squid horizontally in 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip parallel to the scoring in half-inch wide pieces. Sprinkle strips with salt and pepper.

3. Mix sake and soy sauce and set aside.

4. Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until it starts to sizzle and gives off fragrance. Increase heat to high, add mushroom caps top-side down, sear briefly, turn and add squid strips, then asparagus and then broccoli. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until squid strips start to curl and turn opaque, a minute or so, but are not fully cooked.

5. Drizzle sake-soy mixture over ingredients, stir and remove pan from heat. Stir again and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi and serve.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings.

October 17, 2001, New York Times

CHILEAN SEA BASS WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

2 tablespoons finely julienned fresh ginger, in 1 1/2-inch lengths
4 Chilean sea bass fillets, each about 6 ounces (thick fillets of mahi-mahi, skinless salmon or skinless wild striped bass can be substituted)
Sea salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons Chinese black bean paste
2/3 cup sake
1/2 bunch chives, cut in 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil.

1. Place ginger in cold water for two minutes. Drain and pat dry. Set aside.

2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Mix black bean paste with 1 tablespoon sake, and spread on top of fish.

3. Place fish on rimmed heat-proof plate that will fit in a steamer. Add remaining sake to plate. Steam over high heat 10 minutes, less for salmon. Remove plate from steamer. Carefully pour liquid from plate into bowl. Cover bowl to keep warm.

4. Place ginger spears, then chives, on top of each fillet, laying them all in one direction. Heat olive oil and sesame oil together in small skillet until very hot but not smoking. Gently pour hot oil over fish.

5. Pour reserved cooking liquid into each of four shallow soup plates. Transfer fish to plates and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

October 24, 2001, New York Times

SEA SCALLOPS WITH CHILI AND RED ONION

1/4 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced serrano or jalapeno chili
1 1/2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons yuzu or lemon juice
4 large or 8 to 12 medium-size sea scallops
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

1. Combine red onion and chili in small bowl. Add soy sauce and yuzu, and mix. Set aside.

2. Pat scallops dry. In a medium-size skillet, heat oil to very hot but not smoking. Add scallops, and sear a minute or so, until lightly browned. Turn scallops, and sear on other side until they are browned and nearly cooked through.

3. Transfer scallops to serving dish or divide among four medium-size plates. Spoon onion mixture on each scallop, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

October 31, 2001, New York Times

NAPA CABBAGE 'STEAK'

1 large head Napa cabbage
Sea salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon yuzu juice or lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, or thick slices of portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon bonito flakes.

1. Slice off bottom inch of cabbage at stem end. Remove one layer of leaves and discard. Carefully remove remaining leaves until you get to smaller central ones. Reserve smaller leaves for another use. You should have about 12 large leaves.

2. Place one leaf on work surface. Top with another leaf facing the opposite direction, that is, with cut end at leafy end. Dust with pinch of sea salt. Continue stacking leaves, alternating their direction, and dusting every second leaf with salt. Place stack four inches from end of a 16-inch sheet of foil. Lift end of foil over stack of leaves and tightly roll, wrapping the foil as you go. Be careful that foil is wrapped around only the outside of cabbage roll. Tightly tie roll with butcher's cord at 1 1/2- to 2-inch intervals. You should be able to make 6 ties. Use large knife to slice about 1/2 inch from ends of roll, so cut sides are smooth. Then slice roll in sections between cord. You should have 6 thick rounds of cabbage, each wrapped in foil and tied.

3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet large enough to hold rolls, a cut side down, in single layer. Cook rolls over medium-low heat until lightly browned on bottom and steam rises from center, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn rolls and cook on other side until lightly browned. Remove rolls to baking dish and place in oven.

4. While cabbage is cooking, mix yuzu juice, soy sauce and grapeseed oil together and set aside.

5. Place remaining olive oil in skillet. Add mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until softened and lightly browned. Remove from heat. If not serving dish immediately, place mushrooms in small baking dish in oven to keep warm.

6. To serve, remove cabbage from oven and, keeping rolls standing on a cut side, transfer to serving dish or put each on a salad plate. Snip cords and carefully remove foil. Cabbage rolls should hold together neatly. Sprinkle cabbage rolls with bonito flakes. Toss mushrooms with yuzu mixture, place a few mushroom pieces on top of each cabbage roll and serve.