Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ

Those are two sets of appetizers I made on different evening. One unusual one is a variation of the nagaimo-tarako gellee 長芋とたらこのジェル寄せ. Instead of “tarako” cod roe, I used shad roe since it was in the freezer and getting old. I made several dishes from shad roe including American classic of cooked with bacon.  In the picture #1, from left to right; 1. nagaimo-shad roe gelee 長芋とシャドロウのジェル寄せ, 2. Wakame and cucumber in miso dressing 和布と胡瓜の酢味噌あえ, 3. picked herring (from a jar) topped with yogurt dip, 4. daikon “namasu”  in sweet vinegar 大根なます, and 5. daikon kimpira 大根の金平.

Nothing particulary new but two may deserve some notes:

1. Nagaimo-shad roe gelee: 
Japanese tarako is slat marinated but not cooked. I used tarako without further cooking for this dish. 
Since Shad roe is not slated or cooked, i modified my recipe. I first removed the roe from the sacs and  marinated in  the equal mixture of x4 concentrated Japanese noodle soup and mirin for several hours in the refrigerator (good amount of the marinade get absorbed). 
After draining the excess marinade, I cooked the roe in the frying pan with melted butter in low heat until the color changes (or cooked). Let it cooled down and use it like tarako. 

I used 1 cup of Japanese broth with 3/4 envelope of unflavored gelatin. Seasoned with splashes of dark sesame oil and tabasco or sriracha. For the nagaimo layer,  I seasoned with small amount of sushi vinegar.

2. Daikon Kimpira:
I had the last of a good daikon from Suzuki Farm. I peeled (a bit thickly) and cooked with a pinch of raw rice grains (which can be used in simmered dishes such as oden. I cut the peels with skin in match stick and made kimpira with daikon green (from daikon from Weee we just got) and fried “abura-age” tofu.

In the picture #2, i served the nagaimo-shad roe gelee (top center), kelp salmon roll 鮭の昆布巻き (left lower) and salmon nanban 鮭の南蛮漬け (right lower). 

New Year 2022 Jan 3 Salmon three ways 一月三日鮭尽し

We have been enjoying the items from the Sushi Taro osechi box. After indulging in a serving of wonderful dishes from the box which go perfectly with sake,  I served this plate as the “second course”.  The red and white fish cake or "kouhaku kamaboko" 紅白蒲鉾 (upper left in the picture) came from the osechi box (they were the last four slices). I made a deep pocket in each and stuffed the pink one with the leftover Maruhide sea urchin shutou 丸秀雲丹の酒盗 topped with a dab of wasabi. I topped the white one with Ikura marinated in soy sauce イクラの醤油ずけ topped with strips of nori.

The remaining items were all different salmon dishes which I prepared for New Year. Starting from right upper, clock wise, is salmon nanban 鮭の南蛮漬け、Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシア漬け, and finally salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻き. These three salmon dishes all have different textures and flavors. For the salmon nanban, the salmon was dredged in flour and fried before being marinaded in sweet vinegar which gave it a bit firmer texture. The Russian marinated salmon started out as thin strips of raw salmon marinated in sake, vinegar and oil without any sweetness. This year I something different. I added dijon mustard to the marinade and emulsified it with the “motor boat” emersion blender. As a result the oil didn’t separate or solidify. Also, the salmon did not “over cook”  and had a lovely soft texture. Finally the salmon kelp roll was simmered for sometime in seasoning broth, producing a yet different soft and moist texture. These are wonderful to enjoy with sips of sake.

Simmered eggplant and shime-saba with grated daikon 茄子の忘れ煮としめ鯖のおろし和え

These are four appetizers we started with one evening. I tend to make the same things we like but this time, for a change, I made two new dishes. In the picture below, clock-wise from upper left are vinegar cured Japanese mackerel or "shime-saba" in grated daikon dressed in ponzu しめ鯖のおろし和え, long simmered Japanese eggplant or 茄子の忘れ煮, squid "shiokara" 塩辛 and salmon "nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け.

I bought a package of frozen vinegar cured Japanese mackerel or "shime-saba" from the Japanese grocery store and realized I already had another package in the freezer. So I decided to use the old package. I have served this several different ways including simple sashimiしめ鯖の刺身, ceviche  鯖のサビーチェ, and moulded sushi 鯖の押し寿司. I saw this recipe on line and made some modifications. This is very similar to what I made using tuna sashimi 鮪のおろし和え, previously. I garnished this with chiffonade of perilla and a wedge of lemon. I served this the evening I made it and then, again the following evening. After some time in the fridge, the flavors amalgamated and it got much better.

Ingredients:
One package of shime-saba, thawed, lightly washed with sake, patted dry, thin skin removed, and then cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices.
2 tbs ponzu shoyu ポン酢醤油 (from the bottle, or equal mixture of rice vinegar or citrus juice and soy sauce)
2 inch long daikon, peeled and grated and excess moisture drained*
Rehydrate dried seaweed mixture, arbitrary amount (optional)
Chiffonade of perilla and lemon wedge for garnish

*I use a grater with a meshed receptacle inside the bottom container which automatically drains excess moisture from grated daikon (or any other items). I made  sure to taste before assembling into the dish since some daikon is atomically hot. This one was ok.

Directions:
In a bowl, add the shime-saba, grated diakon, seaweed and ponzu and mix, I also added additional yuzu juice (from the bottle) for a good measure. I let it marinate for several hours to overnight, then topped it with the perilla and lemon.

This is a good dish. The daikon really makes this dish and goes perfectly with cold sake.

I made the eggplant dish since I got 2 Japanese eggplants at the Japanese grocery store a week ago and did not immediately use them. (My wife was kind enough to reminded me that eggplant, even the Japanese kind, does not improve with age.) The dish is also from the same web site I got the recipe for the mackerel dish. I decided to make this since it does not use any oil and looked healthy and simple. The Japanese name is "Wasure-ni" 忘れ煮 meaning "forgot that it was still simmering" indicating involving long simmering. The original recipe calls for "hoshi-ebi" 干しエビ, small dried shrimp, which is used to add "umami" flavor and fresh "myouga" 茗荷 but I did not have either one so I skipped the shrimp and substituted fresh myouga with vinegard myouga 茗荷の甘酢漬け we made almost one year ago as a garnish. I added slices of ginger in the simmering liquid whihc was not part of the original recipe. I served this with blanched broccoli rabe which is the closest we can get to "Nanohana" 菜の花.

Ingredients:
One Japanese eggplant (this one was on the larger side), remove the stem end, cut in quarters lengthwise, multiple thin slice cuts on the bias through the skin into the flesh but not all the way through and immediately soak in salted cold water for 10-20 minutes.
2 slices of ginger
Threads of ginger root for garnish (skin, slice thinly and then cut into thin threads).

For broth
1 cup Bonito broth (I made it from a dashi pack)
1/3 cup of concentrated Japanese noodle sauce (or mirin and soy sauce in equal amount).
two slices of ginger (original recipe calls for 1 tbs dried shrimp)

Directions:
Heat up the simmering broth until boiling
Put the prepared egg plant, the ginger slices and cover with a inner "otoshi" buta 落とし蓋 (I used a silicon "otoshi-buta" or cover it with an aluminum foil made it to a round, slight smaller than the pot opening, place the lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

This is a really good dish. The eggplant got really soft and absorbed the flavors of the broth. I served it cold which is perfect for summer.

The picture below is the usual salmon dish I make which is always good with cold sake.

Shown below is frozen "shiokara" from the pouch. Again, only the drink that goes with this is sake.

So, we enjoyed all four appetizers with a sips of cold sake. Our home Izakaya is not bad at all.

Three appetizers with two new ones 新しいお通し2種

 I served these three appetizers one evening. The dish shown on the left in the first picture is my stand-by fried salmon in sweet vinegar or “salmon nanban” 鮭の南蛮漬け. The new ones are the one in the center “dried persimmon and daikon in sweet vinegar” 干し柿の大根なます and the one on the right, “udon noodle salad with peanut butter dressing” うどんのピーナッツバター和え.

The second picture is a close up of the dried persimmon and daikon in sweet vinegar sauce. This is loosely based on my compiled version of various recipes. I actually used the leftover marinade and vegetables from the previous batch of salmon nanban. (If I made this from scratch, I would make it close to the traditional New Year dish “daikon namasu” 大根なます and just add strips of dried persimmon). For a change, I also added roasted and ground sesame (fine grind but not paste) and a small amount of dark sesame oil. The combined taste of sweet and sour with added sesame flavor and refreshing daikon went well with the soft and sweet dried persimmon. Over time the persimmon got softer in the marinade. This is a good refreshing dish.

These are the ingredients and directions to make this dish from scratch (not reusing the vegetable and marinade of the salmon nanban).

Ingredients: 
2 dried persimmon, stem end and seeds removed and cut into strips.
1 inch segment of daikon, peeled, and cut into buttons then julienned.
Carrot and/or celery julienned (optional)
1/2 cup sweet vinegar (1/2 rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar or 2:1 ratio, pinch of salt, heat until dissolved. Then let it cool)
1 Tbs roasted white sesame seeds, fine ground (I used a Japanese mortar and pestle or suribachi.
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

Directions:
Salt the daikon pieces and knead, then let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
Add all the ingredients and the sweet vinegar.
Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

The next dish is a variation of sesame noodle salad. Since we had home-made peanut butter, instead of sesame paste or “neri-goma” ねりごま, I used the peanut butter. This was very similar but different because of the rather intense peanut flavor. I have not made the sesame noodle salad for sometime and never made it with peanut butter. This is a good salad as an appetizer, I should make it more often.

Ingredients: (amount is all arbitrary)
Cooked thin udon noodle
Carrot, julienned
Scallion, sliced thinly diagonally
Sesame seeds for garnish (or crushed peanuts)

For Dressing:
Peanut butter, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in 2:1:1 ratio
Dash of dark peanut oil
Sugar and sriracha to taste
Minced ginger and garlic to taste
Add warm water if the consistency is too thick

Directions:
Cut the noodles into 1-2 inch lengths (optional but for ease of eating)
Dress with the peanut dressing.
Garnish with sesame seeds or crush peanuts.

Four appetizers in new small bowls 御通し4種類と新しい小鉢

We have a good number of small Japanese-style bowls and plates but for some reason my relationship with breakable dishes ends up with them getting broken every-now-and-then. So I am always on the look out for potential replacement small Japanese style dishes/bowls. (Also, since enjoyment of food is visual in addition to taste, I just like different bowls in which to present what I make to complete the entire experience). I found these small bowls on Amazon. They came in four different patterns/colors in a set of four (i.e. total of 16 bowls) . I ended up getting all 4 sets. So, this is the first time I used this set to serve 4 appetizers. The first picture, from left to right, are "salmon nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け, "hijiki seaweed stir-fry" ひじきと油揚げの炒めのも and Japanese "dashi-maki" だし巻き卵 omelet, "Wood ear"* mushroom, cucumber and wakame seaweed sunomono" キクラゲ、ワカメ、胡瓜の酢の物, and  "shredded chicken tenderloin and asparagus in sesame dressing" 鳥のささみとアスパラの胡麻和え. 

*Wood ear mushroom is so-called because it grows out of the surface of wood like an ear sticking out. Japanese call it "ki-kurage" meaning "jelly fish of the wood" because the crunchy texture is similar to dried and salted edible jelly fish. It is interesting, however, when it is written in "kanji" ideograms, it is  木耳 which means wood 木 ear 耳. There is no way you can pronounce 木耳 as "ki-kurage" but the meaning of these two ideograms indeed mean "wood ear".

The second picture is the salmon dish I usually make, fried and marinated in sweet vinegar with vegetables. In order to serve multiple appetizers, it is necessary to pre-make a number of them and have them last long enough to serve over several days. Due to the vinegar this dish lasts a few weeks in the refrigerator. So this salmon dish is a good one to serve as an appetizer. Perfect with sake but not with wine. The pattern of this bowl is not classic Japanese but nice—also the color complements the color of the salmon.

The third picture of hijiki seaweed is a dish that also lasts for some time in the fridge. I served it with Japanese "dashimaki" omelet which goes well with the seaweed dish both visually (yellow and black) and by taste (sweet and salty). The pattern of the bowl is classic Japanese wave pattern.

This is a variation of my usual "sunomono" dish. Besides cucumber and wakame, I used wood ear mushroom. We can get this mushroom usually dried. One of the problems with hydrating the dried items like this is after hydration, the volume increases much more than expected. This was a case here and I used wood ear in several dishes including fried rice for lunch one day. In any case for this dish, I cut the wood ear into thin strips like jelly fish. I also added ground sesame and sesame oil in the dressing. The wood ear really adds crunch exactly like jelly fish.

I froze sous vide chicken breast a few months ago and decided to thaw one. It came out exactly like it was just cooked. I made the chicken salad I usually make which was really good but I kept the tenderloin part of the sous vide chicken for this "goma-ae" 胡麻和え dish. I tore the tenderloin along the meat fibers to make thin strands. I dressed this with sesame dressing ("nerigoma" 練りごま sesame paste, roasted and ground sesame, sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce. I kept this dressing in the fridge which made it stiff. So I added small amount of warm water to loosen the dressing) with blanched asparagus (stem cut into thin pieces at a slant and garnished with tips of the asparagus). The meat was so juicy and tender.

These small dishes are nothing special but I make slight variations which make it interesting and adds to the enjoyment of sake.

One spoonful appetizers and more

These are appetizers I served one evening. Not particularly new but we had "uni" sea urchin from Maruhide 丸秀 a day before, so my one spoonful appetizers a.k.a baby food for adults got a topping of ikura with chopped perilla (for cauliflower purée) and uni with broccoli florets (for broccoli purée).

I also added three small appetizers  which I served in small lidded bowls we got from Nishiki market in Kyoto 京都錦市場. We had Dassai 45 獺祭４５with this.

This is salmon "Nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け (fried salmon marinated in sweet vinegar with carrot and celery).

This is salmon Russian marinade 鮭のロシア漬け topped with vinegar cucumber slices.

For veggies, I served blanched sugar snap soaked in salt broth スナップ豌豆の塩びたし and skinned Campari tomato.

Uni from Maruhide (both regular and in salt water) is really good. My one spoonful appetizer definitely got "kicked up a notch" with the addition of uni.

Appetizers 4 kinds お通し４種類

These are 4 kinds of appetizers we had as starters one evening. Nothing really new. Below, from left to right, are; simmered Japanese eggplant 茄子の含め煮 or 煮浸し and simmered "kabocha" Japanese squash かぼちゃの煮物, salmon in sweet vinegar 鮭の南蛮漬け, "Kazunoko" herring roe with cucumber and "ikura" salmon roe 数の子、胡瓜の酢の物のいくら載せ, and the last is the Spanish mackerel simmered in miso 鯖の味噌煮 I usually make.

I usually take the corners of the kabocha pieces off to prevent them from crumbling during cooking but I was a bit lazy and did not do that this time. Nonetheless the pieces still kept their shape. The eggplant was a small long Japanese eggplant (this is the only kind we can consistently get). I also added blanched broccoli and heated up in the microwave.

The Japanese eggplant was from HMart Korean grocery store which we are using more often. As an innovation from my usual method of cooking eggplant I fried the skin side first. Supposedly, this  helps to retain the skin’s color. Although this is not much different from the previous post, I describe the recipe for my own convenience.

Ingredients:
3 Japanese eggplant
2 tbs neutral vegetable oil
two small pieces of ginger, crushed with the side of the knife.

250ml Japanese dashi broth (I made this with my usual bonito and kelp dashi pack)
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs mirin

(Instead of soy sauce, I am using "shirodashi" 白だしand light colored soy sauce).

Directions:
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Shallowly cut the skin in crosshatching pattern and then cut lengthwise again to make 1/4 eggplant.
Add the oil to a frying pan on medium flame and add the ginger for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the eggplants skin-side down and fry for 3-4 minutes and turn over to fry both of the fresh sides for 2-3 minutes each,
Add the seasonings and broth (below), put on the lid and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

This is good eaten hot right after it is cooked but it can also be stored in the broth in a sealable container in the refrigerator. The stored eggplant can be eaten cold or heated up in the microwave.

This is usual salmon nanban. This one was really good since the quality of the salmon (from Whole foods) was good and I did not over cook it. I served this with sugar snap in salt broth スナップ豌豆の塩びたし.

Mr. and Mrs. Segawa of Tako Grill kindly gave us "kazunoko" herring roe 数の子. I prepared it as I described in my New Year dish tab. The half serving shown below was soaked in dashi broth with soy sauce and mirin seasoning. I marinated the other half serving in sake-lee and miso mixture  or "kasu-miso" 粕味噌. Since this preparation will last longer than the one soaked in dashi broth we will eat it closer to the holidays.

I also served Spanish mackerel in miso sauce 鯖の味噌煮. (The red dots surrounding the mackerel are part to the decoration of the bowel not part of the preparation.)

This was a quite a good starter line up for the evening.

Cuttlefish legs with simmered vegetables イカの足いり根菜の煮付け

Some time ago we got some really nice large boiled octopus legs from the HMart Korean grocery store. Unfortunately they have not been available for some time. Alternatives may include "baby octopus" and "Cuttlefish legs".  One day, when I saw boiled octopus was not available again I got "Cuttlefish legs" to see if they could be a substitute for the octopus legs. The short answer, at least as far as I am concerned, is "NO". While they are both good, lets face it Octopus and Cuttlefish are different "animals". If you are craving octopus leg cuttlefish won't "cut it" for you. The package of cuttlefish legs consisted of a collection of small cuttlefish legs, frozen in one large block. It was impossible to thaw just a part of the block. So, one weekend, I thawed the entire block under running water. (Although they were small, that was a lot of cuttlefish legs). I immediately boiled them, in salted water with a splash of sake. To keep the legs from getting too tough I boiled them just enough for them to cook through (1-2 minutes). Using the boil cuttlefish legs I made several dishes but I did not take pictures. I mostly made dishes in which I usually use squid legs such as a small "sumiso-ae" 酢味噌あえ Japanese salad with cucumber and wakame seaweed. I also made simmered dishes with vegetables and the cuttlefish legs. I realized that the dish shown below would use up the last of cuttlefish legs so I decided to take a pic and post. On the left is the cuttlefish with simmered vegetables (daikon and carrot). I added blanched broccoli just before serving. I also served "aji nanban" 鯵の南蛮漬け or fried jack mackerel in sweet vinegar shown on the right.

This is not based on any recipe but sort of basic Japanese home cooking. I peeled and cut the daikon into half moon shapes about 1/4 inch thick. I peeled and cut the carrot using "rangiri" 乱切り to make bite size chunks. I first sautéed  the vegetables in neutral oil such as safflower oil to coat and then added just water and a splash of sake to just cover. I then added the previously prepared (i.e. thawed and blanched) cutttlefish legs. I seasoned with "shirodashi" 白だし which I got from "the rice factory". I did not season the dish strongly so that the flavor of the ingredients could stand out. I simmered it for 30-40 minutes or until the cuttlefish legs were tender. Using the shirodashi kept the ingredients lighter in color than if I had used soy sauce. It also resulted in a gentle tasting simmered dish.

The package of frozen jack mackerel "aji" 鯵 I used for the next dish was getting old, so I decided it was time to cook it and made "nanban-zuke" 南蛮漬け. Although "nanban" refers to red pepper, I omitted the red pepper flakes since my wife is not fond of spicy food. For vegetables, I used carrot, celery, and red onion. I dusted the "aji" with flour and deep fried it before putting it into sweet vinegar with the vegetables. Just before serving, I also added sugar snaps which had been soaking in salt broth スナップ豌豆の塩びたし。

These two appetizers are great with cold sake. Although the cuttlefish legs do not substitute for the octopus legs, they were not bad in their own right. Nonetheless I managed to use them all up although it took several dishes to accomplish that feat.

Horse mackerel wrapped in perilla leaves 鯵の大葉バター焼き

We defrosted a package of jack mackerel or "aji" 鯵. Although this fish was supposed to be eaten raw as sashimi it had semi-thawed then refrozen when our main refrigerator/freezer went kaput, so I decided I had to cook it The first dish I made was a very standard "aji-no-furai" 鯵のフライ or deep fried breaded aji. 

I served it with home made coleslaw. The fish was crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. 

I could have made "Aji-no-nanban" 鯵の南蛮漬け but I also had a small odd shaped piece of salmon (the result of grocery home delivery). When ordering salmon filet on line, I had to specify by 1 lb increments. I ordered 2 lbs of salmon filet which came in 3 pieces; a good size filet, a small filet and 1 inch wide piece of salmon from near the collar. I removed the skin from this odd piece and tail portions of other filets, cut them into bite sized pieces. I dredged them in flour and fried them after I made the deep fried Aji. From the fried salmon pieces, I made "Sake-no-nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け or salmon marinated in spicy (the one I make is not that spicy) sweet vinegar (right in the picture below). 

After this, I had 4 small filets of "aji" left. I would have made "namerou" なめろう but I wanted a cooked dish. Then, I came across this recipe (in Japanese) which is essentially "namerou" wrapped in perilla leaves and then fried in butter. This was a perfect recipe for me since our perilla is going crazy as usual in our herb garden. So, I made this dish from the remaining "aji" (left in the picture below).

Ingredients: (made 10 half moon packets)
4 raw jack mackerel or "aji" filets (thawed if frozen)
1 tbs miso
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/2 ginger, finely chopped
1/4 tsp soy sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp sugar
10 perilla leaves, washed and dried with stem end removed
Butter for frying

Directions
I first made "namerou" by chopping and pounding the aji with a sharp knife until the aji became a bit pastey. I mixed in the scallion, ginger, miso and sugar and kept pounding until well mixed. You could add a bit of soy sauce to adjust the seasoning and consistency. I placed a small amount of namerou on a perilla leave and folded it into half-moon shape (below)

I fried it in melted butter until the aji namerou was cooked ( a few minutes).

I served a very small and a regular sized piece.

There was not much perilla flavor. The perilla basically served as the “delivery system”. But the filling had a very lovely flavor. The mixture of the fish with the ginger and the miso was pronounced and very good. This is a perfect accompaniment for sipping cold sake. Because of the miso, it is a bit on the salty side which further encourages sipping sake. The next day, I served this cold which was also quite good.

Salmon appetizer 4 kinds 鮭のお通し４種

The day after we had sashimi salmon, we had the four starters pictured below. Two are repeat dishes from the ones we had the previous day when we had salmon sashimi. In the back is instant gravlax (previously posted instant Gravlax made with umershu 梅酒 ) canapé on the no knead rye bread I made. Topped with sour cream and cucumber.  

Here is a close-up of the gravlax.

The picture below shows  Russian marinated salmon on the second day. So,  it is bit more "cured" or "cooked" than when we had it the day before but still not completely "cooked" and quite good.

This is the usual salmon salad. Instead of crackers, I served it with slices of cucumber so that we would not get filled up too quickly.

Below is "salmon nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け. This is a variation of nanban 南蛮. I made it with chicken,  jack mackerel 鯵, "shishamo" ししゃも or capelin fish previously.

So, these were 4 starters all made with salmon. We had cold sake which went very well with all dishes.

Capelin "nanban" シシャモの南蛮漬け

This is another frozen item forgotten in our freezer. My wife drew my attention to a package of frozen capelin or shishamo シシャモ. Although I was not sure how old this was, it did look and smell OK. I usually serve this grilled but I thought "nanban-zuke" 南蛮漬け may be better since deep frying and marinating in sweet vinegar may eliminate any off tastes if they existed.  We tasted just it after it was deep fried and it tasted good but I went ahead and made the nanban.  I served this as a small appetizer with blanched broccoli rabe (rapini).

Along with this dish, I served store-bought "satsuma-age" fish cake 薩摩揚げ, "dashimaki" omelet だし巻き卵, sugar snap スナップ豌豆の塩びたし, simmered kabocha かぼちゃの煮物(center square plate) and boiled octopus leg with rapini. This was quite a big starter.

Ingredients:
One package (10) "shishamo" capelin thawed
2-3 Tbs potato starch "katakuriko" 片栗粉 for dredging
One sweet onion, halved and cut into thin strips
One medium carrot, peeled and cut into small julienne
Few dried Japanese "nanban" togarashi 南蛮唐辛子 red pepper, cut into small rings
One cup sweet vinegar (one cut rice vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar and 1tsp Kosher salt, boiled to dissolve)
1/2 vegetable or peanut oil for "shallow" frying

Direction:
Dredge shishamo with the potato starch (#1)
Add the onion and carrot in a sealable container and pour the hot sweet vinegar and let it cool to the room temperature (#2)
Shallow fry (or deep fry if you so prefer) in 1/4 inch deep oil (#3) for a few minutes and then turn over and cook another minute or two (#4)
Remove half of the vegetables from #2 and add the fried shishamo (#5)
Add back the vegetables to cover the fish (#6)
Put the lid on and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

As a rescue dish for old frozen shishamo, this was quite good. Frying and marinating in sweet vinegar really made it more than edible. Because of the preservative nature of the marinade, we kept enjoying this dish for a week (one small fish at a time). This dish is perfect for cold sake but not great with red wine because of the acidity.

Sushi taro Osechi and New Year's day evening 2018 元旦の夕べ

It was a mellow relaxing New Year's day. My wife wanted to see the first sunset of the year at our sunset gazing spot in our house. First rate sunset admiration requires food and libation. Rather than carrying up many plates and bowls,  however, I came up with the idea of using stackable "Tsugaru-nuri" 津軽塗り Japanese lunch box which my friend gave me many years ago.

Although we were ready to dig into our Sushi-taro osechi box 寿司太郎御節箱, I started with what I made, which, to my surprise, mostly filled the boxes. I only added shiitake-umani 椎茸旨煮 and "fu" gluten cake 梅麩 from the Sushi-taro osechi box. For the occasion, I used "Hagoita 羽子板*"-shaped chopstick pillows or "hashi oki" 箸置き.

*Hagoita is a racket for Japanese badminton-like game which was traditionally played in New Year. Now, almost nobody plays the game and "hagoita" rackets are a purely decorative item for New Year, there are special "ichi" or markets before the New Year which specialize in decorative "hagoita".

Recipes for most of the dishes I made are posted in the "Norio's New Year's Dishes" tab in this blog. #1=Salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻, #2= salmon "Nanban" 鮭の南蛮, #3=Russian marinaded salmon 鮭のロシア漬, #4=Date-maki omelet roll 伊達巻き, #5=chicken patty with dried fig and Gorgonzola cheese いちじくとガルゴンゾラチーズの松風焼き (I garnished with my figgy cranberry sauce), #6="Matsukaze-yaki" chicken patty with pine nuts, 松風焼き#7=simmered shiitake mushroom 椎茸旨煮 and "fu" gluten cake 梅麩 (these are from the osechi box), #8=blanched green asparagus with mayo-sesame paste-soy sauce アスパラの胡麻マヨ, #9=Thinly sliced rib roast with wasabi/horseradish Greek yogurt sauceローストビーフ, and #10=spicy tofu cubes ぴり辛豆腐.

After watching the sun set, we came back downstairs and hit the osechi box. The picture below is the top layer. We were excited to find "Karasumi 唐墨" Japanese bottarga. As usual, the box is packed with goodies.

Here is the close up of sun-dried karasumi 天日干し唐墨.

The picture below is the bottom layer.

This is the plate I prepared from the osechi box. I served the karasumi slightly heated in a toaster oven and sandwiched between thinly sliced daikon. The other items are ginko nuts 炒り銀杏, pickled flower-cut  lotus root  花輪蓮根, steamed "uni" sea urchin 蒸し雲丹, caramelized small shrimp "Tsuyani" 小海老艶煮 and grilled Japanese "Madai" snapper with Japanese pepper tree leave/miso or "kinome" sauce 真鯛木の芽焼き. I also heated up the fish in the toaster oven.  Some items especially grilled fish are best enjoyed heated up slightly to take off the chill of cold. Karasumi is, of course, our favorite and we started with cold sake we brought from Japan on the last trip there.

Here is the close up of all the items which go so superbly with sake.

The sake we opened was the limited edition,  "extra premium Jurakudai" daiginjou from Sasaki-shuzou in Kyoto 聚楽第大吟醸エキストラプレミアム, 佐々木酒造、京都. It was brewed from Yamada Nishiki 山田錦 milled to 40% and a special artesian well water from the ruin of "Jurakudai" castle 聚楽第跡, hence the name of the sake. All sounded very promising but it was not as impressive as we had hoped. It has  all the characteristics of daiginjou sake. Very fruity and it almost tasted slightly sweet which may not have been our favorite type of sake. Since this was bought at the duty-free shop in Narita airport, we did not have a large selection and we did not have any foreknowledge of the sake we were buying. Still, this was an excellent sake, especially with karasumi, uni and grilled fish with kinome sauce. Kinome has such a distinctive flavor you cannot miss. So we were warming up for more goodies and proceeded to make a second  plate from the osechi box.

The below are the second plate which included "tarako" cod roe kelp roll 鱈の子昆布巻, flower-cut simmered carrot 梅人参,  sweet simmered chestnut with inner skin 栗渋皮煮, pickled myouga 酢取茗荷 (new this year), Kumquat in syrup 金柑, simmered sweet fish with roe 子持鮎甘露煮, herring roe marinaded in miso 数の子味噌漬. I am not sure if snow pea 絹サヤ came from my own or from the osechi box.

Herring roe was very nice with very subtle sweetness.

Japanese sweet fish "ayu" with it's roe was also perfect.

At this point, we were quite full. As a ending dish, we had my fuccacia bread with Spanish olive oil for dipping.

This was a pretty auspicious way to start the New Year but it's not over yet. There are many more goodies in the osechi box.