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

Poached Fish

Wednesday Dinner

- Poached Fish
- Cauliflower & Broccoli Gratin

What do you do with leftover pickle juice?  Down the drain?  I never gave a second thought about throwing away pickle juice until I made one for myself.  Once you make your own, you know what goes in there and you know they are packed with beautiful flavours, throwing away that seems such a waste (Mottainai in Japanese).

Ever since I found out that you could poach fish in leftover pickle juice, I have been wanting to try it.  Yesterday, my pickle jar had three gherkins left, so I have decided to make poached fish.  It turned out to be so easy and tasty.  I will make it again and again every time I finish up a pickle jar.  Cheesy and creamy gratin went so well with the fish.  Hubby and I were so happy.


Poached Fish in Leftover Pickle Juice Recipe (Serves 2~3)

Ingredients

• 2~3 Fish fillets (e.g. Hoki)
• Vegetables, thinly sliced (e.g. celery, carrot, onion, garlic, fennel etc)
• Spices of you choice (e.g. peppercorn, bay leaf, star anise etc)

Method

1. Pour leftover pickle juice (herbs and spices and all) and some water in a large shallow pan
2. Turn the heat on, add vegetables and spices 
3. When the water is close to boil, add fish fillets (add more water to cover at least 2/3 of the fish)
4. Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer until just cooked through
5. Serve with steamed veggies or creamy vegetable gratin

Cheese Sauce for Gratin Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups Milk
• 1 cup Sour cream or cream
• 1 cup Cheese, shredded
• 2Tbsp Okara
• 1tsp Psyllium husk
• Garlic powder to taste
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat milk, sour cream and cheese in a small pot
2. When cheese is melted, add Okara, psyllium husk
3. Add salt and garlic powder to taste
4. Once the sauce is thickened, turn the heat off
5. Pour over hard-boiled veggies and bake in the oven for 15mins

Butter & Caper Sautéed Leather Jacket

Sunday Brunch

- Bacon & Eggs

- Butter & Caper Sautéed Leather Jacket

- Sautéed Mushrooms & Kale

Leather Jackets are one of the most economical local fish in Australia.  Sautéed in butter and caper for Sunday brunch and it was super-easy and delicious!  I have decided that I will eat more leather jacket in the future.