Thin-Sliced Fluke Sashimi (平目の薄造り, Hirame no Usuzukuri)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Yanagiba (long sashimi knife), or a very sharp long slicing knife
• •Clean cutting board reserved for raw fish
• •Damp cloth for wiping the blade
• •Chilled pale serving plate
• •Small grater for daikon and wasabi

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the fish

   Buy hirame from a fishmonger who will say plainly that it is suitable for raw eating today. It should smell clean, not fishy, and the flesh should look moist, translucent, and firm. Sourcing first, always. No knife can rescue a tired fish, and this dish gives the fish nowhere to hide.

   Ask what came in today that the fishmonger would eat raw. A careful answer is worth more than a casual label.
2. 2

   Chill the setup

   Put the serving plate in the refrigerator, and chill the fish until you are ready to cut. Set a clean damp cloth beside the board for wiping the knife. Cold fish slices cleanly and holds its shape, while warm fish drags under the blade and turns soft at the edge.

3. 3

   Rinse and dry

   Stir the sea salt into the cold water, dip the hirame quickly, then pat it completely dry with paper towels. This is not a soak. The brief rinse freshens the surface, and careful drying keeps the knife from slipping and the finished slices from weeping on the plate.

4. 4

   Prepare the condiments

   Grate the daikon and squeeze it lightly so it is moist but not watery. For momiji-oroshi, press the seeded chili into the daikon before grating, or mince the chili very fine and mix it into a spoonful of grated daikon. Slice the scallion as thinly as you can. These are bright accents, not a sauce to bury the fish.

   If the chili would shout over the fish, leave it out. Plain grated daikon and ponzu are enough.
5. 5

   Set the angle

   Lay the fillet on the board with the tail end to your left if you are right-handed. Hold a yanagiba, the long sashimi knife, at a very low angle, almost as if shaving the surface. The low angle makes each slice longer and thinner, which is why usuzukuri feels tender even when the fish itself is firm.

6. 6

   Slice in one pull

   Draw the knife through the fish in one smooth pull from heel to tip, making slices about 1 to 2 millimeters thick. Do not saw. Wipe the blade after every few cuts, because a clean blade leaves a clean face on the fish, and the wet sheen of that cut is part of the taste.

   If the slice tears, your angle is too steep, the blade is dull, or the fish is too warm. Fix the cause before cutting the rest.
7. 7

   Fan the slices

   Lay each slice onto the chilled plate as soon as it is cut, overlapping them lightly in a fan or loose circle. The slices should be thin enough for the pale plate pattern to show through. Leave at least a third of the plate empty, because crowded sashimi warms quickly and looks less generous, not more.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Set the grated daikon or momiji-oroshi, wasabi, scallion, shiso, and yuzu peel to one side. Pour ponzu into small dipping dishes and serve immediately. Dip lightly. The ponzu should sharpen the hirame, not take command of it.

Chef Tips

• •Use a yanagiba if you have one. A long, sharp slicing knife is the workable stand-in, but it must be sharp enough to cut in one draw. A short knife makes you saw, and sawing is where the trouble starts.
• •Keep the fish cold, but don't put it directly on ice once sliced. Meltwater dulls the surface and washes away the clean sweetness you bought the fish for.
• •Serve fewer slices than you think. Usuzukuri is about restraint, not abundance. A chilled plate with space around the fish tells the eye to slow down before the hand reaches for ponzu.
• •If the fish smells strong or feels tacky, change the dish. Salt it lightly and grill it, or simmer it gently. That is more honest than pretending poor raw fish can be saved at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the daikon, scallion, shiso, yuzu peel, and ponzu up to 2 hours ahead and keep them chilled separately.
• •Chill the serving plate 30 minutes ahead. The plate buys you a little time at the table without chilling the flavor flat.
• •Slice the hirame only just before serving. Once cut thin, it warms and dries quickly, and the whole virtue of usuzukuri is the fresh face of the slice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)