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Clear Soup With Fish
(Ushio Jiru)
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"Ushio jiru" is an unusual soup, deriving its delicate flavor from the fish head, which Westerners usually discard. The body of the fish may, of course, be used for another purpos (see umewan).
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| What You Need: |
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A fish head (from a 2-pound snapper, sea bass or tilapia), split open and cut in half
Salt
3 cups boiling water
A 2-inch square of kombu (dried kelp), cut with a heavy knife from a sheet of packaged kombu and washed under cold running water
MSG
A 5-inch piece of celery stalk without leaves, cut lengthwise into the thinnest possible strips and chilled in a bowl of iced water
4 very thin slices lime
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Discard the bony jowl part of the fish head and cut the rest of the head into 2-inch chunks. Sprinkle lightly with salt, drop into the boiling water, and let it cook for 10 seconds. Drain and rinse the fish thoroughly under cold running water.
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2. In a 1˝- to- 2-quart saucepan, combine 4 cups of cold water, the fish chunks and the kombu. When the water comes to the boil, remove and discard the kombu.
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3. Regulate the heat so that the stock barely simmers, and skim the scum from the surface with a slotted spoon. Simmer about 3 minutes, and then stir in 1˝ teaspoons of salt and the MSG.
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4. Place a few pieces of fish in each bowl and garnish with a slice of lime and a few slivers of celery. Fill each bowl with the hot soup, pouring it down the side so as not to disturb the decorative arrangement.
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