Celebrate rich and velvety sablefishDivine first taste at a Japanese restaurant inspired a bounty of recipes
Karen Barnaby, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006
I met sablefish when I moved to Vancouver. We were introduced at a Japanese restaurant over the robata grill. It was simply done, with a little sweet soy sauce.
At the first bite, my imagination exploded with the potential it held. Its richness and velvety texture reminded me of veal, specifically braised veal shanks.
When I went to shop for it, it was nowhere to be found. In fact, no one had heard of it. I put two and two together and poked around Chinatown.
I found it there and set to work on my first sablefish recipe, which was Sablefish Osso Buco. It worked out fantastically and I was encouraged to experiment more. I found that sablefish was well suited to intense flavours, flavours that normally aren't associated with fish.
The "Corned Sablefish" comes from an olfactory memory. I used to live close to a corned-beef factory in Toronto. Walking down the laneway on a crisp day and picking up the scent in the air was like a small celebration.
Sablefish with Clams and Chorizo Sausage is from my fondness of combining pork products with seafood. And the miso marinade is a Japanese classic with the Waldorf salad interjecting a Western note.
Sablefish is a fish I like to cook with in cool weather. The seasonings and methods of cooking it make me feel warm and cosy when it's chilly outside.
It's hard to describe the taste and texture of sablefish. It has large flakes like salmon, but the resemblance ends there.
Describing it as "heavenly" is too ethereal because it's also dense. But describing it as dense doesn't do justice to its divine qualities. "Divinely dense" isn't right either, so I'll leave it up to you to describe its qualities.
chef@fishhousestanleypark.com
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SABLEFISH WITH CLAMS AND CHORIZO SAUSAGE
A flavourful meal in a bowl. If you're feeling ambitious, make an aioli to serve on the side.
1-inch (2.5 cm) slices good, sturdy bread
1 clove garlic, peeled
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb (227 g) chorizo sausage, Spanish or smoked Portuguese-style
1 cup (240 mL) white wine
1 cup (240 mL) drained, canned plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 lb. (454 g) fresh Manila clams, scrubbed
4 4-oz. (113 g) fillets sablefish
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lb. (113 g) spinach, washed, stems removed
Preheat the oven to 400 degreesF (200 degreesC). Grill or toast the bread on both sides. Rub the bread on one side with the garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil. Place one slice in each of four deep pasta bowls.
Peel the skin from the chorizo sausage and tear it into 1/2-inch (1.2-cm) pieces. Place in a pot large enough to hold the clams comfortably. Add the wine, tomatoes and clams. Cover with a lid and cook over high heat until the clams just open. Remove from the heat.
Heat 1/4-inch (0.8 cm) of olive oil in a large, heavy frying pan that can go into the oven. Season the sablefish filets with salt and slip into the pan, skin side up. Reduce the heat to medium and let them sizzle away until they turn a crisp golden brown.
Turn the filets over and place the frying pan in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the fish is just done. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Add the spinach to the clam mixture. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir once or twice and remove from the heat. Place the fish on the toasted bread. Spoon the clam mixture around the fish and serve.
Makes 4 servings
'CORNED' SABLEFISH WITH WARM RED CABBAGE AND PEAR SLAW
The corned beef-style marinade suits the richness and texture of the fish perfectly. Instead of the slaw, try sauerkraut or a fluffy pile of potatoes mashed with horseradish.
For the marinade:
1 1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) yellow mustard seeds
5 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
large pinch cinnamon
2 tsp. (10 mL) sweet smoked paprika
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce
5 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
2 tsp. (10 mL) sea salt
1 tsp. (5 mL) sugar
4 8 oz. (227 g) skinless sablefish fillets
For the slaw:
1 lb. (454 g) red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) sea salt
1 tsp. (5 mL) sugar
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) caraway seeds
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely diced shallots
1 firm ripe pear, cored and diced into 1/4-inch (.6-cm) cubes
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Coarsely crush the peppercorns, coriander and mustard seeds, cloves and bay leaves in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Place in the work bowl of a food processor or blender the cinnamon, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, garlic, celery, salt and sugar. Process to a coarse paste. Coat the fish evenly with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Combine the red cabbage, vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix well and let stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the marinated fish and turn down to a bare simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the fish flakes easily. It will remain moist-looking on the inside.
While the fish is cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and caraway seeds. Saute until the garlic starts to turn pale gold. Add the shallots and cook until they start to turn brown. Add the cabbage mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is crisp-tender. Add the pear and cook until heated through. Season with pepper.
Place the slaw on heated plates. Remove the fish from the liquid with a slotted spoon and serve on top of the slaw.
Makes 4 servings
MISO SABLEFISH WITH WALDORF SALAD
This particular preparation is Japanese-influenced and the Waldorf salad provides the perfect foil to the rich and succulent texture of the sablefish. If you don't want to make your own mayonnaise, add the lemon juice, miso, mustard and lemon peel to 2/3 cup (160 mL) prepared mayonnaise.
For the sablefish:
1/3 cup (80 mL) white miso
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) sugar
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) sake
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) mirin
4 6 oz. (170gr) sablefish fillets, skin on
For the Waldorf Salad:
2 egg yolks
2 tsp. (10 mL) lemon juice
1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) sea salt
1 tsp. Japanese prepared mustard, or Dijon mustard
1/2 cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) white miso
1 tsp. (5 mL) grated lemon peel
sea salt
2 cups (480 mL) Fuji or other flavourful apple, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup (60 mL) celery hearts, cut into 1/4-inch (.6-cm) dice
1/2 cup (120 mL) daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (.6-cm) dice
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) pine nuts
2 tsp. (10 mL) black sesame seeds, toasted
Combine the miso, sugar, sake, and mirin. Coat the sablefish with the miso mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to three days.
In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and mustard. With the motor running, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream. When the mayonnaise has emulsified, add the miso and lemon peel. Pulse to combine and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
When you are ready to serve the fish, combine the apple, celery, daikon, green onion, pine nuts and sesame seeds. Add the mayonnaise. Mix well and refrigerate.
Position the oven rack approximately 8 inches (20 cm) under the broiler. Preheat the broiler on high. Place the fish skin side up on a baking tray and broil until browned and crisp around the edges, about 5 minutes. Turn over and broil 5 minutes longer. Keep your eye on the fish; the sugar in the marinade can burn easily. Serve immediately with the Waldorf salad on the side.
Makes 4 servings.
SABLEFISH OSSO BUCO
In the spirit of osso buco, serve with this with saffron risotto or saffron rice.
You have to use a real meat stock for this. Stock or broth in a can doesn't thicken as it reduces and the sauce won't be rich and sumptuous.
4 Tbsp. (60 mL) unsalted butter
1 cup (240 mL) finely diced onion
2/3 cup (160 mL) finely diced carrot
2/3 cup (160 mL) finely diced celery
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) finely chopped parsley
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 strips lemon peel, peeled from a lemon with a vegetable peeler
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups (360 mL) canned plum tomatoes, with juice, pureed and sieved to remove the seeds
1 cup (240 mL) white wine
3 cups (720 mL) beef or chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) finely chopped parsley
2 tsp. (10 mL) grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) minced garlic
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6 sablefish steaks, 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (120 mL) all-purpose flour
To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and parsley and saute until the vegetables are soft but not browned, 8-10 minutes.
Add the garlic, lemon peel, bay leaves, tomatoes, wine and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for approximately 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until reduced by two-thirds and thickened. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
(The sauce may be prepared up to 2 days in advance. When cool, cover and refrigerate.)
When you are ready to serve, combine the parsley, lemon peel and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Salt and pepper the fish. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Dip the fish into the flour and shake off the excess. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Remove from the pan and place in a single layer in a baking dish. Heat the sauce to a boil and pour over the sablefish. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley, garlic and lemon garnish over the fish and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
FIELD NOTES
Although sablefish is also called black cod, it's not a member of the cod family. To add to the confusion, the smoked product is marketed as "smoked black cod," not "smoked sablefish."
Sablefish are a long-lived fish, with one on record reaching 62 years. They're found in the North Pacific Ocean and range from the Bering Sea to central Baja California in Mexico.
In the western Pacific, they're found between the coasts of Kamchatka in Russia to southern Japan.
Best of all, the fishery is managed for sustainability of the species.
For more info: www.canadiansablefish.com.
Sablefish filets and steaks have lateral bones that are almost impossible to remove before cooking, but they are easily removed after cooking with tweezers or your fingers. In fact, as soon as a bone can be easily removed, the fish is done. You can cut the raw fish on either side of the lateral bones, but this wastes a lot of the fish.
You can purchase already-marinated sablefish at Fujiya Japanese Foods in two different versions: marinated in miso, or marinated in sake lees left from brewing sake. It's one of my personal favourites. Raw filets are also available.
Fujiya Japanese Foods
912 Clark Dr. (at the corner of Venables), Vancouver.
604-251-1988
I'm teaching two classes next week. At Tools & Techniques in West Vancouver on Oct. 17, I'll be presenting A Taste of the Trattoria. And on Oct, 18 at The CookShop at City Square, A Seafood Primer.
Tools & Techniques
250 16th St.
West Vancouver
604-925-1835
www.thestoreforcooks.com
The CookShop at City Square
#3 -- 555 West 12th Ave. (at Cambie Street)
604-873-5683
www.cookshop.ca
