One preparation I made using a puck of seasoned rice in the center of a salad of raw fish, cucumbers, and pickled pear.
When I graduated college, I travelled to Japan for around a month and half with a friend. It was the beginning of summer and oppressively humid. On more than one occasion, he and I enjoyed the easy company of izakaya owners preparing their delicacies until odd hours of the night. One such delicacy is chirashi, a dish of raw fish served over rice often alongside seasonal vegetables or pickles.
Izakayas are not as fussy as omakase counters or even restaurants for that matter. Eating at an izakaya is about the company. Chatter between the barkeep and patrons, many who are regulars, can be heard near constantly. The food, though delicious, is a vehicle for these these moments instead of a distraction from them. It is often simple and reflects the respect for seasonality that underlies many of my favorite Japanese dishes.
Sonoko Sakai, a chef and author of the wonderful Japanese Home Cooking wrote of the dish: “You can use whatever you have. Really, the possibilities of a chirashi are infinite, because it doesn’t have to be about the seafood. It can be all vegan or vegetarian if you want.” When I recreate this dish at home, I focus less on the fish and more on showcasing a particularly delicious ingredient. Hamachi belly with olive oil and plump strawberries marinated in lime. Vinegar-cured fluke with avocado and sesame seeds. Fresh cucumbers marinated in chili and pickled red onions. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Generally, I opt for salt or sugar pickling my vegetables per typical chirashi protocols; however the world is your oyster! The cardinal rule is that it must be fresh and harmonious with the other ingredients.
Ingredients
Approximately 2 cups cooked sushi rice
1/2 to 1 tbsp high quality rice vinegar
White sugar
3x4 inch piece of kombu (dried Japanese kelp; though this one from Portland, ME is wonderful!)
Sashimi grade fish (this deserves a separate blog entry, but salmon, tuna, hamachi, matai, fluke are what I usually gravitate towards; belly cuts tend to carry more fat and better withstand the aggressive seasoning of my chirashi)
Seasonal produce
1/2 tbsp red yuzu kosho
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp soy sauce
Neutral oil (avocado, safflowerr, canola)
Juice of 1 lime
Finely sliced green onion or tokyo negi
Recipe
For the seasoned rice
Heat approximately 1/2 cup of rice vinegar on the stovetop until barely bubbling.
Immediately turn off heat and add 1/2-1 tbsp white sugar to the mixture and stir until dissolved.
Add kombu to the mixture.
Allow to cool on the stovetop for approximately 30 min.
Once cool, drizzle over cooked rice in 1 tsp increments until seasoned to your taste.
For a less traditional yuzu-kosho vinaigrette
Combine juice of 1 lime with green onion to a tupperware with a lid. Set aside for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Once marinated, add yuzu kosho, sesame oil, soy sauce to the mixture. Add an equal volume of neutral oil and cover. Shake vigorously to combine.
For the chirashi
Dress sliced fish with your vinagrette to taste. Let sit for approximately 5 minutes.
Top rice with vegetables and marinated fish if you so desire. Not much else to say.