Snow-Steamed Fish (淡雪蒸し, Awayuki-mushi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Mushiki (Japanese steamer), or a wide pot with a rack and tight lid
• •Clean kitchen towel for wrapping the steamer lid
• •Small heatproof bowls or lidded cups
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Whisk and clean mixing bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   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, about ten minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides of the pot. Letting it boil with the konbu still in makes the stock bitter and a little slick, which is not the clean base this dish needs. Add the katsuobushi all at once, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for two minutes. Strain through a cloth and let it drip naturally. Don't squeeze, because squeezing pushes strong, oily flavors into the clear stock.

   This dish has very few places to hide flavor. A clear dashi is the first secret, and it asks more patience than skill.
2. 2

   Salt the fish

   Sprinkle the fish lightly with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and let it rest for ten minutes. The salt draws out a little surface moisture and firms the flesh, so the fish steams cleanly instead of weeping into the bowl. Blot the fish dry, then rub each piece with a little sake.

3. 3

   Prepare the vessels

   Set each fish fillet in a small heatproof bowl or shallow lidded dish. Tuck the shiitake slices and ginkgo nuts beside the fish, not on top of it. They should season the little vessel without burying the fish, because the snow cap needs a clean place to sit.

4. 4

   Make the gin-an

   Measure 1 1/2 cups of the dashi into a small saucepan and add the mirin and usukuchi shōyu. Warm it to a gentle simmer. Mix the katakuriko with the tablespoon of cold water, stir the slurry into the dashi, and cook for one minute until the sauce turns clear and glossy. It should coat a spoon lightly, not sit heavy on it. Keep it warm off the heat.

   Gin-an is a glaze, not a blanket. If it gets too thick, loosen it with a spoonful of dashi.
5. 5

   Set the steamer

   Prepare a mushiki, a Japanese steamer, or set a rack inside a wide pot with a tight lid. Bring the water to a steady simmer, then lower the heat so the steam is gentle. Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel if condensation tends to drip. Drops of water will pit the egg-white snow, and this is one of those small annoyances that is easy to prevent.

6. 6

   Steam the fish

   Place the bowls in the steamer and steam the fish for five to six minutes, until the surface has turned opaque but the center is not quite finished. If a strong-tasting puddle collects in the bowl, spoon most of it away. Fresh fish gives you a clean liquor, tired fish gives you a warning. We listen to warnings.

7. 7

   Beat the whites

   While the fish is steaming, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl until they hold soft peaks that bend at the tip. Stop there. Dry, stiff peaks look impressive and then turn rubbery under heat. Soft peaks settle around the fish like snow and keep the texture tender.

8. 8

   Set the snow

   Spoon the egg whites over each piece of fish in a loose mound, leaving a little of the bowl visible. Return the bowls to the steamer and steam gently for two to three minutes, just until the egg white is set and matte on the surface. Pressing longer will cook the fish past its sweetness and make the snow shrink.

9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Spoon the warm gin-an around the fish, not directly over the highest part of the snow. Set one sprig of mitsuba and one thin strip of yuzu peel on each bowl. Serve at once, while the fish is tender and the egg-white cap still has its lightness.

Chef Tips

• •Ask your fishmonger what white fish came in today that smells clean and has firm, moist flesh. Tai in spring, cod in winter, and flounder in the cold months are all good choices when they are at shun.
• •Don't use instant dashi here. There are dishes where a practical stand-in behaves well enough, but in awayuki-mushi the stock is the quiet thread tying fish, egg white, and sauce together.
• •Beat the egg whites at the last sensible moment. Foam waits badly. Have the sauce warm, the steamer ready, and the fish nearly cooked before you pick up the whisk.
• •If you don't own a mushiki, use a wide pot, a small rack, and heatproof bowls. The tool is less important than the softness of the steam.
• •Serve in individual bowls with space showing around the food. A crowded bowl turns snow into laundry, and we have not come this far for laundry.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it gently before making the gin-an.
• •The fish can be salted, rested, blotted, and kept refrigerated up to two hours ahead. Add sake just before steaming.
• •Make the gin-an up to one hour ahead and keep it warm, or rewarm it gently with a spoonful of dashi if it tightens.
• •Do not beat the egg whites ahead. They lose air as they sit, and the light snow is the point of the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)