Name: Fresh Fluke in Smoky Vinaigrette (Hiramé no Tosa-Zu Aé)
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon mirin (syrupy rice wine); 10 ounces fresh fillet of fluke, sea bream, OR snapper; 1 package (5 grams) OR about ⅓ cup katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes); ⅔ cup dashi (basic sea stock); 2–3 teaspoons finely chopped chives OR scallion greens; 4–6 leaves fresh red-tipped lettuce; ¼ cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon usukuchi shōyu (light soy sauce); 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

An American Taste of Japan

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1985

About

If you’re lucky enough to have a source for impeccably fresh fluke, or any other delicate white-fleshed fish, you can enjoy this subtly flavored fish salad as an appetizer. I’ve suggested two ways of slicing the fish, depending upon your knife skills; both are lovely.

Ingredients

Tosa-Zu Dressing

⅔ cup dashi (basic sea stock)
1 tablespoon usukuchi shōyu (light soy sauce)

Method

In a small saucepan, combine the stock, two soys, and syrupy rice wine. Heat this mixture until it just begins to simmer. Sprinkle the bonito flakes over the seasoned stock. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the stock steep for 3 minutes before pouring it through a cloth- or paper-lined strainer or colander. With the back of a spoon, press on the solids to extract all the liquid from th