The final recipe in our series From Yuki’s Kitchen, Yuki Gomi is joined by Aiste Miseviciute, also known as Luxeat, to bring you a recipe that is both comforting and delicious – Sea Bream Rice – Tai Meshi ー鯛めし
SEA BREAM RICE – Tai Meshi ー鯛めし
I often feel like I need some comfort food to enjoy on my cosy evenings in, so I have created a one-pot-wonder that will let you do just that. Here is a wonderful sea bream recipe to warm you up. Be warned – it is highly addictive!
Tai Meshi (sea bream with rice) is today’s wholesome dish that I absolutely love cooking and eating. Especially as it’s simple and requires very little fuss to make but is also filled with flavour. Enjoy it as a main or starter.
Sea bream is much loved in Japan as it is a symbol of celebration (Tai in Japanese), and you will always find sea bream at special occasions like weddings. To congratulate someone in Japanese, you would say ‘Medetai’. It doesn’t translate well into English but when I think of sea bream it makes me happy and I think of all the festive times.
This dish is a perfect accompaniment for you to enjoy, particularly when you have little time to spend cooking but fancy a treat.
As we all know, fish is good for us due to its high omega three content, however, sea bream has added qualities, which is why I love to cook with it. Not only is it a sustainable fish, but it also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, so it is definitely a fish to experiment with!
I use the whole fish in this dish, as I feel the bones add a huge amount of flavour. However, you can also just use the fillets.
Now it’s your turn to enjoy cooking this festive dish!
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 fillets of sea bream
2 pinches of salt
450 g Japanese short-grain rice
10 cm x 10 cm kombu (dried kelp) with 3 Japanese cups of water
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sake
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (light)
2 Tbsp. mirin
1 cm grated ginger
GARNISH
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
1 Tbsp. toasted white sesame seeds
METHOD
Rinse the rice with tap water until the water runs clear. Then, drain the rice and cover with water for at least 30 minutes – although for best results, I recommend leaving it for 2 hours. This will make the rice soft and fluffy when cooked.
Next, score the fish on each side and sprinkle both sides with salt. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and put it under the grill for 3 minutes, skin side up. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen blowtorch to sear the skin, making it crispy. At this stage you do not have to cook the fish completely, but just until it has an attractive seared colouring.
Using a large pot (1.5–2L size), add 3 cups of water, the kombu, salt, sake, soy sauce and mirin. Stir to combine the ingredients and then place the grilled fish on top. Put the lid on and start cooking on a medium heat on the hob.
As it starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a further 9–10 minutes. Once that’s done, remove the pot from the heat, leaving it to stand for a further 10 minutes before serving. Present the dish to the table with the fish intact, as it looks great. Once the fish is cool enough to handle, de-bone and serve with the garnish at the table.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
If you would like to see more Luxeat content, please click here to view Aiste’s favourite things to eat in Japan.
