Sushi in the Dark

So, we start to make sushi...  (Condensed story - lived outside of Denver - sushi was far away and $$$ - so Alec learned how to make it a little over 10 years ago.  Been kind of a gateway drug.)

Anyway - the fish was sliced,

and so was the veg

 the rice was in the rice maker.

Then Boom! (well really, "click") the power went out.  Alec stood there - baffled.  "Well, the rice is toast."
"No it's not.  It's just rice.  We can go old school.  Ya know, use fire."

And that's just what we did.  Sushi by candle light.

 NO Broiler?!
Break out the (creme brulée - ok XTra large version we use for torching sous vide meats) torch to crisp the eel.

 Looks cool in the dark!?

And some miso soup.

Which reminded me of part of the awesomeness of Japanese food - perfect no electricity food.  In fact this is a whole cuisine developed in a preindustrial setting - and yet, still brought to high art.  And the general lack of need for ovens helps when the power is down.  Sure, the Japanese love their sweet white bread (anpan/Milk Bread) and other pastries, but those are the imports, their own cuisine goes on without the oven.

And then after the sushi - Pandemic of course.  To complete the apocalyptic theme for the evening. (Are sushi and the apocalypse compatible?)

Wild (Fish) Food

What happens when you send 9yr olds out with a shrimp net on a dock?


They catch those little minnows that swim around the margins.  Especially if they are persistent and energetic - and no one has given them any silly notions about how one must catch the minnows.




My nine year old went for the overhead swing and speed netting.  Looked odd to me, but then, my "sneak up slowly" technique never caught sixteen of the little guys.

So, as a self respecting science teacher, what do you do when your child says, "can we dissect them?"
Well, you sharpen the paring knife in the boat's galley, get out your fine forceps (tweezers to the rest of the world), and go to work.  (Of course I have dissecting forceps with me - for emergencies such as this, don't you?)

ok, cleaning a fish smaller than your pinky
is harder than/as hard as it looks.

Then, my opportunistically practical offspring asks, "Can we eat them?"
And I am forced to ponder my last trip to a tapas restaurant.  Well, yes we can.  And if I am going to dissect one in the name of science, why not six in the name of culinary exploration?

And thus:

A quick fry in a 1/4" of oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Pro Tip: frying in oil on a boat galley - not normally recommended.
But this was in the name of science.

And since it was his idea:

OhBoy! OhBoy! OhBoy!

And finally:

Grilling Trout (whole fish version)

A warm sunny day in the uncertain spring of Seattle, and fennel is showing up.  It is time for grilled trout stuffed with fennel fronds and lemons.

A grilled romaine salad with sautéed onions and fennel with a creamy, garlicky dressing and some bread will round out the meal nicely.  A dry, citrusy white wine would do wonderful things with this as well.

The Trout:

Ingredients:

2 whole trout (thoughtfully cleaned by your fish purveyor)

2 fennel bulbs – with fronds. (If the ones you find have had them already cut off, ask for untrimmed ones, they are usually easily procured.

3 lemons

salt

oil

Prep:

Pat the fish dry, and place them in your fridge uncovered to dry the skins out a bit while prepping grill and the rest of the dinner. 

Chop off the large, fennel stems.   Cut or tear off the smaller feathery ends.  The very tender ends can be chopped up to go in the salad/salad dressing.  (Or if you are making rice, added to that while it cooks.)

Everything smaller than the big heavy stalks will be used to stuff the fish.

Slice the lemons medium thin – 5 slices +/- per lemon.   (12 slices, plus half a lemon left for salad dressing.)

(Chop ingredients for the salad too if you are making one.  In fact, let that fish skin continue to dry in the fridge while you finish all the rest of the prep.  The fish take about 10 minutes once they hit the grill.)

Make sure your grill grates are clean, and rub them with a paper towel with enough oil to make them shiny.  (Use a variety that has a high smoke point – like canola, walnut or grapeseed oil).

Cook!:

Start heating your grill to high heat. 

(Special tip – if using a charcoal grill, toss these large stalks onto the charcoal for some fennel flavored heat.)

Take the fish out or the fridge.  Open the middle.  Sprinkle with salt, and lay down three lemon slices.  Stuff in fennel fronds.  Lay down 3 more slices, and tie up with cooking twine (cotton or linen string – NOTHING plastic based)

Rub the outside of the fish with a little oil, and place on the hot grill.

Cover the grill and cook for about 4 minutes.  Gently flip the fish.  If the skin is sticking, wait until it unsticks (gently check every minute or less).  Turn the fish over, cover and cook the same amount on the other side.

Wow!

Clip the string,

Slice the fish.

Enjoy the good life.