Sautéed Pacific Saury in Butter

Monday Dinner

- Sautéed Pacific Saury in Butter

- Okara salad

- Chawanmushi (Steamed Savoury Egg Custard)

Hubby gets really excited when the dinner is fish even though there are bones to go through.  He is much better at eating a whole fish than I am.  I just sautéed gutted and salted pacific sauries in butter.  Very simple and tastes great.  You will need chopsticks for this.  I can't imagine eating a whole fish with a knife and fork.

For the sides, I made Okara salad by mixing Okara (soy pulp), tin tuna, onion, corn, red capsicum, celery, olives and seasoned with 4Tbsp mayo, 2Tbsp yoghurt, 1Tbsp wholegrain mustard, 1tsp soy sauce.  It is like a low-carb version of a potato salad, very similar texture and flavour and it is one of the few Okara dishes hubby likes.

Chawanmushi is a steamed savoury egg custard and a typical Japanese appetiser.  It has rich Dashi flavour and it is almost like a soup.  It was much easier to make than I always thought.  No doubt I will be making it more regularly.

Chawanmushi (Steamed Savoury Egg Custard) Recipe (Makes 2)

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs
• 1tsp Mentsuyu or soy sauce
• 300ml Dashi stock
• pinch of salt
• 2 dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked in Dashi, sliced

Method

1. Whisk eggs in a bowl, add Mentsuyu, Dashi stock and salt, Mix well
2. Divide reconstituted and sliced Shiitake mushrooms into 2 small heat resistant cups
3. Pour egg mixture to the cups passing through a tea strainer
4. Steam for 10mins (reduce heat to simmer when water is boiling)

Tips

• Add a bite-size prawns, chicken or fish cake/ball
• No need for a steamer, just steam in a pot with 2-3cm hot water