Post by tylerdurden on Jan 7, 2009 12:47:45 GMT -5
while i havent had a chance to fish for them i see alot of you guys are here was a suggested way to prepare them
As a Sushi and Sashimi lover, I feel the need to come to the defense of the lowly Bonito.
First of all, I TOTALLY agree that cooking a Bonito is an exercise in futility. They just aren't very good. But then again, ANY Tuna that is fully cooked is not very good in my opinion. That is why it is normally served either raw or seared.
If you are one that likes Sashimi, fresh Bonito "Tataki" is excellent, if cared for properly. Here's a good recipe for success:
Bleed the fish, head down in a bucket of water while it's still kicking.
Gut it after bleeding and pack it UNDER ice, chilling it down immediately.
Fillet and remove the lighter meat strips (loin). This is the best eating part. You can feed the darker meat to your cat, dog, surly neighbor, or save it for Grouper bait.
Before you sear the fish, you will need a separate container of ice and water. You will be dropping the fish in here immediately after cooking. This is critical to halt the cooking process!
Other ingredients for sauce and optional marinade include:
1/3 cup green onion (finely sliced)
4-inch piece ginger root (finely shredded)
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Ponzu Sauce
a few drops hot sauce (vinegar based...tapatio, tabasco etc)
crushed red pepper
optional- shredded daikon radish as a bed for serving the fish
Heat a lightly greased nonstick frying pan to very hot. A well seasoned cast iron pan works great too. Drop in a piece of fish and roll it, cooking on all sides, but very quickly. As soon as it's barely seared on all sides, remove it and IMMEDIATELY drop it into the ice water container for about a minute. This is necessary to stop the cooking process. Let it sit in the icewater for about a minute, no more. You can sear the next piece while the first one is in the water.
Remove, drip dry, and wipe away any moisture with a paper towel.
Now you have 2 options. You can either roll the pieces of cooked/chilled fish in plastic wrap and store in the frig for 30 minutes, OR you can marinate the fish while storing with a sauce made from :
Half of the green onion, ginger, garlic, lemon, a few drops of hot sauce, red and black pepper to taste, ponzu sauce. (Ponzu sauce can be purchased at many Japanese restaurants)
Keep half of the sauce for dipping served fish later.
Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes. Cut the marinated (or unmarinated) Bonito in thin inch slices, perpendicular to it's length and stack like dominoes on plate of Daikon for serving.
If you want to keep the whole thing simple, you can skip the sauce and marinade part and simply dip the sliced fish in Ponzu sauce and eat. I like to put a dab of Wasabi on mine as well.
"Bonito" appetit!
As a Sushi and Sashimi lover, I feel the need to come to the defense of the lowly Bonito.
First of all, I TOTALLY agree that cooking a Bonito is an exercise in futility. They just aren't very good. But then again, ANY Tuna that is fully cooked is not very good in my opinion. That is why it is normally served either raw or seared.
If you are one that likes Sashimi, fresh Bonito "Tataki" is excellent, if cared for properly. Here's a good recipe for success:
Bleed the fish, head down in a bucket of water while it's still kicking.
Gut it after bleeding and pack it UNDER ice, chilling it down immediately.
Fillet and remove the lighter meat strips (loin). This is the best eating part. You can feed the darker meat to your cat, dog, surly neighbor, or save it for Grouper bait.
Before you sear the fish, you will need a separate container of ice and water. You will be dropping the fish in here immediately after cooking. This is critical to halt the cooking process!
Other ingredients for sauce and optional marinade include:
1/3 cup green onion (finely sliced)
4-inch piece ginger root (finely shredded)
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Ponzu Sauce
a few drops hot sauce (vinegar based...tapatio, tabasco etc)
crushed red pepper
optional- shredded daikon radish as a bed for serving the fish
Heat a lightly greased nonstick frying pan to very hot. A well seasoned cast iron pan works great too. Drop in a piece of fish and roll it, cooking on all sides, but very quickly. As soon as it's barely seared on all sides, remove it and IMMEDIATELY drop it into the ice water container for about a minute. This is necessary to stop the cooking process. Let it sit in the icewater for about a minute, no more. You can sear the next piece while the first one is in the water.
Remove, drip dry, and wipe away any moisture with a paper towel.
Now you have 2 options. You can either roll the pieces of cooked/chilled fish in plastic wrap and store in the frig for 30 minutes, OR you can marinate the fish while storing with a sauce made from :
Half of the green onion, ginger, garlic, lemon, a few drops of hot sauce, red and black pepper to taste, ponzu sauce. (Ponzu sauce can be purchased at many Japanese restaurants)
Keep half of the sauce for dipping served fish later.
Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes. Cut the marinated (or unmarinated) Bonito in thin inch slices, perpendicular to it's length and stack like dominoes on plate of Daikon for serving.
If you want to keep the whole thing simple, you can skip the sauce and marinade part and simply dip the sliced fish in Ponzu sauce and eat. I like to put a dab of Wasabi on mine as well.
"Bonito" appetit!
