Shunju. Takashi Sugimoto
sea bream with other firm-fleshed white fish, just make sure the fish is absolutely fresh. You can determine the freshness of fish by the firmness of its flesh, the sheen of its scales and eyes, the firm adherence of the scales, and by the bright red color of its gills or the translucent, shimmering color of its flesh.
1 To prepare the salad dressing, mince together the garlic, ginger, and naga negi, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in the remaining dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2 Slice the cucumber, carrot, and naga negi into needle-thin slivers and refresh in cold water (see page 251). Cut the radish into paper-thin slices and refresh this too in cold water.
3 Prepare the sea bream into a three-section fillet (see page 244) and sogi giri cut (see page 247). Place the sea bream on your cutting board skin side up, the thinner side closer to you. Slice into 3/4-in (1 1/2-cm) thick slices by slicing on a diagonal slant. Arrange slices in a circular pattern on the dish.
4 Pour the egg into a lightly oiled skillet and make a very thin omelet. Remove from the skillet, cool, then roll and slice into needle-thin slivers.
5 Lightly toss the vegetable slivers together and pile high on top of the sea bream slices and garnish with the egg slivers.
6 Pour the dressing on the salad just before serving.
Ponzu sauce
1 In a saucepan, bring sake to a boil over high heat to burn off the alcohol. Remove from heat and cool.
2 In a sealable container, or a wide-mouthed bottle, large enough to accommodate all the liquid, pour the soy sauce and kabosu juice and mix thoroughly. Add the cooled sake, bonito flakes, and konbu. Squeeze the liquid from the sudachi into the container, then add in the squeezed fruit.
3 Let the sauce rest in a cool place or in the refrigerator overnight. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. This recipe yields abut 3 cups (800 ml) ponzu sauce and will keep for 2 months refrigerated.
Clam and udo salad
Aoyagi to udo no aemono
Serves 4
1 stalk udo, about 1 lb (500 g), substitute with white asparagus
2 teaspoons su (rice vinegar)
8 sashimi-quality akagai (fresh hen clams), about 3 oz (80 g), shelled, rinsed, and sliced lengthwise into 3 pieces
8 shiso (peri 11 a) leaves
1 oz (25 g) menegi (welsh onion sprouts), substitute with chives
Salad dressing
4 teaspoons koikuchi shoyu (soy sauce)
1 tablespoon fresh wasabi, substitute with frozen fresh or tube wasabi
8 teaspoons vegetable oil
Like all other shellfish except abalone, aoyagi —or hen clam—is a spring delicacy. It is blanched briefly, then tossed in a simple dressing with another spring delicacy, udo, a stalk plant somewhat similar in taste and fragrance to white asparagus. Wild udo belongs to the category of sansai, or spring mountain vegetables, but the udo used in this recipe is the cultivated variety, possessing a milder flavor which does not overpower the shellfish. Because it is grown in the dark, it has a snow-white color.
1 Cut the udo into 1 1/2-in (4-cm) lengths and peel. Slice each piece in half lengthwise, then each half lengthwise into thin slices, and finally the thin slices into matchstick slivers. Soak in some water with vinegar added to remove the acid.
2 To make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, wasabi, and vegetable oil. Set aside.
3 Blanch the clams in hot water, about 190°F (80°C), and refresh in iced water.
4 Toss the clams and udo with the dressing, divide into 8 portions, and arrange each portion on a shiso leaf. Garnish with menegi or chives.
Sea eel braised with spring burdock root
Anago to shin gobo ni
Serves 4
11 oz (320 g) sashimi-quality anago (fillet of conger eel), substitute with other eel or any firm-fleshed white fish (but not with braised eel commonly found in Japanese grocery stores)
6 1/2 oz (200 g) burdock root, soaked in water with a little vinegar
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) katsuo dashi (bonito stock) (for preparation see page 248)
2 tablespoons koikuchi shoyu (soy sauce)
3 1/2 tablespoons mirin
Ginger juice, obtained by peeling, grating, and squeezing ginger
This is a wonderfully light braised spring dish. The burdock root is rich in dietary fiber and vitamins but it is bitter and should always be soaked in water with vinegar before using. The shavings should just be lightly braised so that they retain their crunchy texture. Anago, conger eel, is quite rich in fat and compliments the burdock root well.
1 Place the eel on a cutting board above the sink, skin side up, and pour boiling water evenly over it. Remove any slime from the skin by running the spine (the blunt side) of a knife over the skin.
2 Wash and peel the burdock root by scrubbing it, then shave it (as you would sharpen a pencil) with a knife, turning it slowly until you have shaved the entire root. Soak the shavings in water for 10 minutes, then drain and reserve.
3 In a saucepan large enough to fit the eel, bring the stock, soy sauce, and mirin to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the eel (if the eel is too long, cut it in half), and simmer for 5 minutes.
4 Remove the eel carefully so that it does not break. Cut across into bitesize pieces. Arrange in serving bowl, pile the braised burdock root on top, add the ginger juice to the remaining liquid, and slowly pour on top. Serve immediately.
Grilled fava beans and new onions
Yaki soramame to shin tamanegi
Serves 4
8 soramame (fava/broad beans) in their pods
Natural sea salt
3 new onions, about 10 oz (300 g) each
In Japan, fava (broad) beans, or soramame (literally "heavenly beans"), are an important spring vegetable. They are normally boiled in salt water out of their pods, but at Shunju, where charcoal grilling is an important method of cooking, we have discovered that these beans are delicious grilled in their pods. The heat is trapped and, consequently, the beans are steamed to perfection inside their pods. The same holds true for the sweet new onions which also arrive in spring.
1 Soak the fava beans in their pods in water for a few minutes, then sprinkle them liberally with salt.
2 Remove any wilted outer skins from the onion but be sure to leave the rest of the skin intact.
3 Grill the beans and onions on a charcoal grill or broil under an oven grill until their skin is charred and they are soft to touch, or are easily pierced with a skewer. You should grill the onions first as they take longer to cook.
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