Pan Seared Wild Rockfish and Soft Shell Crab Tempura with Ginger and Yuzu Glaze, Cucumber and Toasted Nori
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 2 hr
- Prep: 1 hr 30 min
- Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
1 quart peanut oil, for frying
Canola oil, as needed
1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
8 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
Kosher salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 (5-ounce) wild rockfish fillets, skin on
6 soft shell crabs, cleaned
Tempura Batter, recipe follows
Yuzu Glaze, recipe follows
Nori Flakes, recipe follows
1/2 bunch scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 fresh red chiles, thinly sliced, seeded
Toasted Nori Triangles, recipe follows
Tempura Batter:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
10 ounces club soda
Yuzu Glaze:
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 orange, juiced
1 1/2 cups yuzu juice concentrate
1/2 cup lite soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Asian chili garlic paste, such as sambal oelek
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
4 tablespoons cornstarch
Nori Flakes:
1 sheet nori
Toasted Nori Triangles:
1 sheet nori
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a deep saucepan, heat canola oil to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, toss cucumbers with rice vinegar, set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine about 1 tablespoon canola oil and the ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add heavy cream and lime juice, boil until reduced by half. Fold in crabmeat, season mixture with salt, set aside.
- Place flour on a plate. Season the rockfish with salt and lightly dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat about 1 tablespoon canola oil. Add rockfish, skin side down, just until skin is crisp, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook to brown other side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove fillets to a cutting board, cut fillets in half horizontally. Top half the pieces with the crab mixture and sandwich back together. Wrap portions individually in waxed or parchment paper.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake until fish is cooked through and crab stuffing is hot, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dip crabs in Tempura Batter and fry until lightly brown and crispy, about 3 minutes, drain quickly on paper towel and cut in half.
- To serve: On the bottom of the plate, place a few cucumber slices. Drizzle with Yuzu Glaze. Remove rockfish from waxed paper and sprinkle sides with some of the Nori Flakes. Place rockfish over cucumber, plate soft shell crab next to fish. Sprinkle with scallions and chilies. Sprinkle with remaining Nori Flakes and stick a Toasted Nori Triangle in each crab half.
Tempura Batter:
- In a medium stainless steel bowl, whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, salt and ginger. Whisk in club soda. Refrigerate or keep this batter on ice until ready to fry. You may need to whisk in additional flour or water to adjust the batter if it stands.
Yuzu Glaze:
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine ginger, orange juice, yuzu juice, soy sauce and chili garlic paste. Bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar and the 1 tablespoon water. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture turns a dark amber color, about 5 to 10 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent burning.
- When the sugar reaches the desired color, carefully whisk in the simmering yuzu mixture. Return to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch with enough water to form a smooth slurry. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the yuzu mixture a little at a time, letting it return to a boil between additions, until the mixture has thickened to a glaze. You may not need all of the cornstarch.
Nori Flakes:
- Tear nori into small pieces. Grind to a fine powder in batches in a coffee or spice grinder.
Toasted Nori Triangles:
- Using a sharp knife cut to cut nori into 12 small triangles.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil. Add triangles, cook, turning once, until crisped and shiny on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.