If you’ve ever traveled through Japan, you know how hard it is to leave the local food markets empty-handed. On my last trip, I ended up picking up some traditional misozuke pickles from the famous Buzen-ya Honten shop. They’ve been sitting in my cupboard for a while, waiting to be paired with a suitable dish.Continue reading “Memories of Japan: Miso-Glazed Cod with Buzen-ya Honten Misozuke Pickles”
Category Archives: Fish
Foraged Morels with Crispy Hamachi
After years of searching (ok, one year) I finally found some morels and wanted to pair them with a nice fish dish. I fried the morels with quite some butter together with the sauce, but it may have been better to fry them separately as they got a bit soggy. Live and learn! Here isContinue reading “Foraged Morels with Crispy Hamachi”
Sake Brewing Byproducts: Koji Kasu Cured Mackerel
It’s only fitting that one of my first steps back into blogging involves a byproduct of another experiment. I recently tried my hand at brewing sake at home, and while the sake itself was a success, I was left with a significant amount of Koji Kasu (the lees or residual yeast and rice solids). RatherContinue reading “Sake Brewing Byproducts: Koji Kasu Cured Mackerel”
Structural Mechanics of Whole Plaice paired with Tomato Essence Beurre Blanc
I ended up making this dish mostly because I still had some tomato essence left in the fridge that really needed to be used up. I paired it with a homemade beurre blanc, and honestly, the sauce is easily one of my favorites so far. Now, full disclosure: the whole plaice I used unfortunately completelyContinue reading “Structural Mechanics of Whole Plaice paired with Tomato Essence Beurre Blanc”
The Mushroom Log Experiment and the Physics of Shiitake “Scaled” Skrei
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately experimenting with growing my own mushrooms. There’s something deeply satisfying about the “low and slow” biology of a Shiitake log, but when it’s time to harvest, the focus shifts immediately to the physics of the pan. I had a batch of fresh Shiitakes that were practically beggingContinue reading “The Mushroom Log Experiment and the Physics of Shiitake “Scaled” Skrei”
Lipid-Poached Pollock with Wild Garlic and Potato Purée
Let’s be completely transparent from the outset: this is not my favorite way to prepare fish. However, I wanted to test a precise method to use rather “cheap” whitefish, which is notoriously prone to over-coagulation, without turning it into a dry, fibrous mass. While the fish itself was an experiment, the accompanying potato dish andContinue reading “Lipid-Poached Pollock with Wild Garlic and Potato Purée”
High-Energy Surface Dehydration: Crispy Atlantic Wolffish in Clear Tomato Broth
I’ve been experimenting with a batch of tomato essence I whipped up recently, and I was itching to use it as a poaching medium for a solid fish dish. My initial plan was to go with mackerel, but the market had other ideas, and it wasn’t available. I had to “settle” for Wolffish (Steinbeißer). AsContinue reading “High-Energy Surface Dehydration: Crispy Atlantic Wolffish in Clear Tomato Broth”
Scallops with Piment d’Espelette
This recipe takes me back to my time in Belgium. One thing I truly miss about living there, apart from the beer, is the seafood selection. The access to fresh, high-quality North Sea catch was on a completely different level compared to what I find in southern Germany these days. I first put this dishContinue reading “Scallops with Piment d’Espelette”
Halibut with Mangold & Sauce Allemande
We need to talk about my mangold (Swiss chard). I started growing it on my windowsill, but it quickly decided it wanted to take over the entire room. To make things worse, a colony of Blattläuse (aphids) found it and started eating it up. So I had to harvest the whole mangold, before they spreadContinue reading “Halibut with Mangold & Sauce Allemande”
Never Split Your Butter Sauce Again: Pan-Seared Halibut with Blistered Tomatoes
When I first attempted this, the flavors were there, but the “visual” was a disaster. The sauce was a sticky mess, with separated fat and water layer. From what I learned later, probably because the sauce got too hot when I mixed in the butter. To prevent this from happening, pull the pan completely offContinue reading “Never Split Your Butter Sauce Again: Pan-Seared Halibut with Blistered Tomatoes”