It’s no secret that one of my favorite things to do is to go out to a amazing meal with my husband. We regularly forego exchanging gifts just so that we can indulge in whatever new restaurant is on our must try list. The perfect bite is just one of those things that takes me far away to such a happy warm place. As much as I enjoy each and every bite of food and sip of wine, it’s always so sad when our meal comes to an end. We’re always very satisfied but we often leave wanting just a little more, which is why one of my new favorite hobbies is to come home and try to recreate some of those delicious dishes myself. Sometimes I’m successful, and sometimes I’m definitely not. This was one of those times I think I fared on the better end of the scale.
A couple of birthdays ago, we went to Ame, which is located in the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco. Their cuisine is New American with little bits of Asian hints in there. Our absolute favorite dish of the night was their Broiled Sake Marinated Alaskan Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth. The fish was so delicate and rich and the broth balanced it out so well. I skipped the shrimp dumplings because I wanted the black cod to be the focal point of the plate. It took a few tries but I think I’ve (almost) mastered this one.
(Recipe below)
Black Cod in Shiso Broth
Serves 2, maybe 3
- 1 pound of black cod, bones removed
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of sake
- 2 tablespoons of mirin
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
- 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- green onions, julienned & finely diced for garnish
Combine the first 7 ingredients. Marinate and refrigerate the black cod for a minimum of 3 hours, but preferably overnight or up to 24hours. To cook the cod, preheat your oven on to 425. Take the fillets out of the marinade and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cod will develop a deep caramel/mahogany color. Combine the second 8 ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and add the shiitake mushrooms, carrots and green onions. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes.
To serve, gently place a cod fillet in the center of each bowl and then ladle the broth in. Garnish with green onions and enjoy.
*Just a disclaimer, I don’t accurately measure all ingredients. I generally eyeball the ingredients and adjust to taste. Also, my oven runs a little hot.
