Snapper Arani

(Heads and Wings)

Ingredients

2 snapper heads, wings and other leftover parts (not fillets or bones)

1 small ginger root

4 tablespoons soy sauce (Japanese soy sauce is best for this)

4 tablespoons Mirin (you can find this at most supermarkets)

¼ cup and for later, 4 tablespoons, of sake or cooking wine (pinot gris is fine)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups water

Method

1) Dunk the heads and wings in boiling water for 20 seconds or until the surface of the fish turns white, then immediately remove at transfer to a bowl of cold water.

2) Clean the fish parts of scales.

3) In a pot add ¼ cup of sake and 1 cup of water, fish parts, and bring to a simmer. If your snapper was a biggie, add a bit more water until the parts are mostly covered.

4) On simmering, add the sugar, mirin, and soy sauce, then cover and cook over medium until the liquid has reduced to a third of what it was.

5) Cut ginger into thin slices and garnish.

6) Like other braised dishes, arani tastes better after letting it sit for 2-3 hours after cooking, as flavour is absorbed into the fish from the broth. When you serve it, reheat it.

Traditionally Japanese root vegetables are cooked with fish parts. I had trouble finding what I was looking for in NZ but you can use zucchini or large chunks of spring onion. I added zucchini to this dish.

Hone Senbei

(Bones)

Ingredients

Fish bones

Cooking oil, enough to shallow fry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie mayo)

Method

1) Wash bones of leftover bits, pat dry and heat in the oven at 150 degrees celsius until they are dry, but not cooked (15 minutes).

2) Heat enough oil until slightly bubbling in a deepish pan, and fry the bones until golden. Be careful because they can burn quickly.

3) Immediately take off heat, remove from pan and put into a shallow dish of soy sauce. Remove and serve with Kewpie mayo.

December 2022 - Dallas Abel
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd.
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited