A classical Japanese method of lightly curing seafood with kombu (kelp), kobujime infuses your favorite fish with a punch of umami. Originally a way to preserve fast-spoiling fish, it didn¡¯t take long for pre-modern Japanese chefs to realize wrapping seafood with kombu overnight made for a delightful dish the next day.
That alone would be enough for a satisfying meal, but upon finishing legendary producer Rick Rubin¡¯s new book, ¡°The Creative Act,¡± I was struck by my own bolt of inspiration: After curing fish (salmon, in this case), crisping the skin on parchment both diffuses heat and makes any pan nonstick. It¡¯s a synthesis of old and new I think both Rubin and our nameless Japanese fisherman of the past would approve.
This recipe can work with any skin-on fish, from luxurious kinmedai (golden-eyed snapper) to ubiquitous salmon or trout. The sauce is a pared-back beurre blanc playing on the humble kasujiru (sake lees soup).
Serves 2
Prep time: Overnight
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 150 gram salmon filets (skin on, scaled)
- 2 sheets kombu (similar in size to fish)
- 10 milliliters rice oil
- 25 grams kasu (sake lees)
- 25 milliliters white wine vinegar
- 40 grams butter (small cubes, refrigerated)
- Watercress, ³Ü³¾¾±²ú³Ü»å¨ (sea grapes) or any salad
Directions:
1. Check your salmon filets for bones and scales, then lay on the konbu and place in a tray.
2. Pat dry the skin and leave uncovered for at least four hours but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
3. The next day, cut your parchment paper slightly larger than your fish filets. Oil the skin and place the fish, skin down, onto the paper.
4. Heat a frying pan and place the salmon on its parchment paper into the pan. You can leave the konbu on top or remove for simplicity.
5. Press the fish with a spatula to ensure contact with heat and to stop the skin from curling.
6. Cook until colored and crisp (around five minutes). The konbu on top should trap some heat, so the fish may not need turning. If you removed the konbu earlier, sear the fish on its opposite side for five seconds.
7. Mix the sake lees and white wine vinegar in a small pot to make a thin paste. If needed, thin this out with 15 milliliters of water and bring to a hard boil.
8. Turn off the heat and, whisking constantly, incorporate one cube of butter fully at a time until all are emulsified.
9. Heat your sauce and plate with the fish on top, garnished with watercress or ³Ü³¾¾±²ú³Ü»å¨, or with a larger salad.
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