Steamed red mullet with ceps, ginan sauce and ponzu jelly

  • medium
  • 4
  • 30 minutes plus 3 hours marinating time
Not yet rated

This stunning Japanese dish from Endo Kazutoshi combines gently steamed red mullet with a slightly smoky grilled cep and a tart ponzu jelly. This sits in a light sauce of dashi, soy and sake named ginan – which translates to 'silver' as the sauce can look silvery in the right light. The mullet is lightly cured and flavoured by the natural salts in the kombu seaweed – this takes three hours, so ensure you leave enough time.

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Red mullet

Ginan sauce

Ponzu jelly

  • 100g of ponzu
  • 0.4g of agar agar

To serve

  • 1 spring onion, green part only, very finely sliced on the angle
  • Hana hojiso, also known as perilla blossom or shiso flowers
  • Kimone leaves, also known as sansho leaves

Equipment

  • Steamer
  • Barbecue

Method

1

Fillet and pin bone the mullet if using a whole fish, then trim off the belly. Cut each fillet into 2 equal pieces, so you're left with 4 pieces of prepared fish in total

  • 1 red mullet, or 2 fillets
2

Brush the kombu with sake, then sit the pieces of red mullet on top. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 3 hours

3

While you wait, make the ponzu jelly. Pour the ponzu into a small saucepan and gently warm through. Mix the agar agar with a splash of water, then pour this into the hot ponzu. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill – the mixture should thicken and turn into a loose jelly

  • 100g of ponzu
  • 0.4g of agar agar
4

Prepare a large steamer and light a Japanese konro grill. Remove the kombu from the fish, then place the pieces of mullet skin-side up onto a small stainless steel tray which will fit inside the steamer. Season the fish with a little sake and salt, then wrap up the tray in heat resistant cling film and place in the hot steamer. Steam for 10 minutes

5

As the fish steams, make the ginan sauce by combining all the ingredients (apart from the kuzu) in a pan and gently warming through. Add the kuzu and stir to combine and thicken (you may not need all the kuzu)

6

Add the cep mushrooms to the konro and cook until lightly charred and tender throughout – Endo places a sheet of wet paper on top of the mushrooms to help them steam as they cook

7

To serve, pour the ginan sauce into 4 small serving bowls and place a piece of steamed mullet on top

8

Garnish the fish with little pieces of the ponzu jelly and a halved mushroom. Finish the dish with a sprinkling of spring onion, hana hojiso and kimone leaves

  • 1 spring onion, green part only, very finely sliced on the angle
  • Hana hojiso, also known as perilla blossom or shiso flowers
  • Kimone leaves, also known as sansho leaves
First published in 2021

Proving just how refined, world-class and mind-blowing an omakase sushi experience can be, Endo Kazutoshi's decades of experience in Japan intertwines with the best fish and seafood the UK has to offer.

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