Tag Archives: Fish

Japanese Taco Salad

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Today I wanted to do a price point challenge.  I had $11 in my wallet and was craving fish tacos.  With what I bought from Trader Joe’s to make this dish (spices, oil, and flour excluded), it only cost about $11 total to get enough ingredients for at *least* 4 servings (admittedly I did get my soba from 99 Ranch, the Asian supermarket, so it might cost more at TJ’s).  ($9 for fish & veg, $2 for a bottle of 2 buck chuck (excluded from costing here >.> , and $2 for soba noodles)

For the soba noodle “taco salad”:

  • soba noodles cooked & rinsed & drained as per directions on package
  • white sweet onion diced finely
  • shredded cabbage
  • jalapeño peppers, finely diced (how many probably depends on how spicy they are)
  • cherry tomatoes, cut into four pieces each
  • fresh cilantro, chopped  (mine was from my garden!  whee Spring!)
  • 1 freshly squeezed lime
  • dash sesame oil (not used a lot in Japanese cooking, but whatever, it’s identity crisis fusion)
  • toasted sesame seeds
  • salt

For the fish:

  • Trader Joe’s frozen Mahi Mahi chunks (defrosted)
  • lime juice
  • sea salt
  • dash of Ponzu
  • brown sugar (or substitute Mirin for more Japanese flavor)

Marinaded briefly, then dried and then coated with:

  • rice flour
  • hot chili flakes

Fried in

  • vegetable oil

until golden, dried on paper towels and served on top of the salad.

To make this more Japanese, top with Kewpie brand or slightly sweetened U.S. mayo (ala Oaxaca fish tacos) and sub green onions for white onions.  Some furikake or shredded nori would be a fancypants garnish.

You could substitute regular white flour or cornstarch for the rice flour in a pinch, or go super fancy and make the fish tempura style.
Eaten together, this recipe was awesome for a hot day.  I’m not normally a fan of mahi mahi, but it does in a pinch if it’s the cheapest fish you can get.

Maple Miso-Glazed Sea Bass

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My dad is here to visit! I wanted to cook him a nice dinner last night, so here’s what we had:

  • Browned butter garlic spinach fettucini
  • Bitter green salad (wilted dandelion greens) with homemade meyer lemon blue cheese dressing
  • Maple Miso Glazed Seabass

You’ll see miso glazed fish or chicken at a lot of fancy restaurants.  The fact of the matter is that this is very, very easy to make at home.  I threw in some maple syrup for a more unique flavor.

To make the glaze:

  • 4 tbsp white miso
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 2 tsp fresh finely grated ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups of water

Blend miso paste with water.  Add to pot along with all the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat.  Stir frequently.  Let reduce until it becomes a somewhat thick gravy-like consistency.  It should probably take about 15 minutes.

Take your (fresh or well defrosted) fish, add a little butter or vegetable oil to a frying pan, sear it on both sides (lightly browned). Turn down the heat to medium. Baste one side with the miso maple glaze, flip that glazed side face down on the pan, then glaze the other side.  Let the fish cook 2-5 minutes on each side.  The miso glaze should not burn, just turn a darker brown.  When you push on the fish with a fork, it should push back and be firm.