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Steamed Fish Loaf
(Kamaboko)
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| What You Need: |
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A 3-inch square kombu (dried kelp), washed under cold running water
1/3 cup flour
2/3 pound fluke or other white-meat fish fillet, without any skin or small bones
1¼ teaspoons salt
2 egg whites
¼ cup mirin (sweet sake), or substitute 3 tablespoons pale dry sherry
GLAZE
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon mirin, or substitute 1 teaspoon pale dry sherry
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Cover the kombu with ½ cup of cold water and soak for 30 minutes in a small bowl. Add the flour, mix to a paste with a wooden spoon, and set aside.
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2. Cut the fish into small pieces and puree them, a few at a time, in an electric blender. Then transfer the puree to a bowl and, with an electric beater or large spoon, beat into it the salt, egg whites, mirin and the flour-kombu liquid. Continue to beat until smooth.
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3. With a pastry brush or paper towel, lightly oil a 3-cup cake pan or ovenproof baking dish and line the bottom of the pan or dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.
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4. Add the fish mixture and spread it evenly over the foil with a rubber spatula. Rap the pan on a table to remove any air pockets.
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5. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place the pan of pureed fish in a shallow roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up its sides.
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6. Cook the fish loaf uncovered in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes, or until the fish is firm to the touch. Turn off the heat, keep the oven door closed, and let the fish cake rest for 10 minutes.
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GLAZE:
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1. Preheat the broiler. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and mirin and, with a pastry brush, brush it evenly over the top of the fish. Slide the pan under the broiler and watch it closely as it browns lightly.
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2. Brush again with the glaze and broil again for another minute, repeating the process two more times until the fish becomes encrusted with a thick golden glaze. Cool to room temperature.
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3. Run a narrow spatula or knife around the inside of the pan. Cut the fish cake into slices 112 inch wide by 1 inch long, and transfer to a serving platter. Kamaboko is served at room temperature either as a hors d'oeuvre, part of a picnic box, or first course.
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