Monkfish Hot Pot (あんこう鍋, Ankō Nabe)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Donabe (Japanese clay pot), or a wide heavy pot
• •Small skillet for the ankimo-miso base
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Miso koshi or small bowl for dissolving miso
• •Tori-zara serving plates and chirirenge spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu out when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides of the pot, before a full boil. Boiled konbu gives the stock a bitter, slick edge, and this pot needs clean depth under the liver.

   You're steeping the kelp, not cooking it hard. The rule is only the shortest way to say protect the broth.
2. 2

   Add the bonito

   Bring the konbu water just to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, then take the pot off the heat. Let the flakes sink for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring. Strain through a cloth-lined sieve and let it drip on its own. Don't squeeze, because squeezing presses strong, oily flavors into the dashi and muddies the clean base you just made.

3. 3

   Clean the monkfish

   Keep the monkfish cold while you work. Separate the liver from the other pieces, then sprinkle the flesh, skin, fins, and bones with 1 teaspoon salt and leave them for 10 minutes. Set the pieces in a colander and pour boiling water over them until the surface turns opaque and tightens. Rinse under cold running water, rubbing away slime, blood, and dark clots. This is yubiki, a quick blanch that cleans the fish without cooking it through.

   Ankō has good gelatin, but it also has surface slime. Clean it now and the pot tastes deep, not fishy.
4. 4

   Prepare the liver

   Pull away any visible blood lines from the monkfish liver. Sprinkle it with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the 3 tablespoons sake, then leave it for 10 minutes. Pat it dry and chop it roughly. The salt draws out harshness, and the sake rinses away the metallic edge that would otherwise follow you into the broth.

5. 5

   Make kimo miso

   Set a small skillet over low heat and add the chopped liver. Mash it with a wooden spoon as it warms, cooking until its fat begins to glisten and the smell turns sweet and nutty, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the red or blended miso and the optional white miso, then loosen with the 2 tablespoons sake, mirin, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup of the dashi. Keep the heat low. Burned liver tastes coarse, and there is no sauce heavy enough to hide it honestly.

6. 6

   Layer the pot

   Put the burdock, daikon, napa cabbage stems, negi, tofu, and shiitake into a donabe or wide heavy pot. Add the kimo miso and enough dashi to come about two-thirds of the way up the ingredients, usually 4 to 4 1/2 cups. Bring it to a quiet simmer. The firm vegetables go in first because they need time to soften and give sweetness back to the broth.

7. 7

   Simmer the ankō

   Add the blanched monkfish pieces, putting skin, fin, and bony pieces in first, then the flesh. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, skimming any foam that rises. The flesh should turn opaque and firm but still moist, while the skin and fins become glossy and tender. A hard boil tightens the fish and breaks the broth, so keep the surface moving softly.

8. 8

   Finish the greens

   Add the napa cabbage leaves and shungiku or mizuna for the final 1 to 2 minutes. Taste the broth. If it needs more strength, dissolve a little miso in a ladleful of broth before adding it back to the pot. Dropping miso straight in leaves lumps and dulls the aroma. Finish with a few strips of yuzu peel if you have them.

9. 9

   Serve and close

   Set the donabe at the center of the table with small tori-zara plates and chirirenge spoons. Let each person take what is ready instead of waiting for the whole pot to submit at once. When the solids are gone, add cooked rice for zōsui or udon to the remaining broth. For zōsui, simmer the rice until loose, drizzle in the beaten egg, cover briefly, and serve while the surface is still glossy.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for an ankō nabe set with liver included. The pieces should look glistening fresh and smell clean, not sour or strong. Sourcing first, always. No careful simmer rescues tired fish.
• •If you can only find monkfish tail and no liver, you can still make a good miso fish hot pot, but don't call it the full Ibaraki thing. The liver is what turns this from plain nabe into ankō nabe.
• •Don't skip the yubiki blanch. It looks like a small housekeeping step, but it decides whether the broth tastes clean or muddy. Wash it twice, wash it thrice, then trust the fish.
• •A donabe is right for the table and holds warmth beautifully. If yours is not rated for dry heating, make the kimo miso in a small skillet and transfer it in. A wide enameled pot is a perfectly sensible stand-in.
• •Season the broth a little stronger than soup you would drink alone. The cabbage, tofu, and fish will soften it as they cook, and a nabe broth must carry the whole table without becoming salty.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. The konbu can also soak overnight in the cold water before heating for a rounder stock.
• •Vegetables can be cut 4 to 6 hours ahead. Keep the greens separate and covered so they stay lively.
• •The monkfish can be salted, blanched, rinsed, and drained the morning of cooking. Keep it covered and cold, and cook it the same day.
• •The kimo miso can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently with a little dashi before building the pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 590g)