Assorted Fish in Japanese Broth

The universal Japanese broth—dashi—was a revelation to me the first time I made it at home. It was as satisfying as a long-cooked and labor-intensive consommé— and I had made it in a few minutes with some seaweed and a bag of dried fish shavings. Once you learn to make a basic dashi, you can whip up elegant soups by lightly sautéing or poaching a piece of fish or shrimp and serving it right in the broth. Flavoring the dashi with mirin, soy sauce, or sake is simple and s