TRISCUITS WITH SARDINES AND MUSTARD
Inspired by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef-owner of Prune
Triscuits (regular flavor)
Dijon mustard
Canned sardines, drained and coarsely chopped
Spread a Triscuit with a generous smear of mustard. Pile some sardines on top. Repeat, and serve.
KYOTO MISO-MACKEREL HOT POT
Adapted from Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals
2 mackerel fillets (about one pound)
salt
1/4 pound daikon, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 cups dashi
2 cups water
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup white miso (or saikyo miso, if you can find it)
1/2 pound napa cabbage, sliced
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into four pieces
4 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed and pulled apart
1/2 pound spinach, stemmed
4 teaspoons grated ginger
sliced scallions (optional)
1. Salt the mackerel fillets generously on both sides and place on a plate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Simmer the daikon in a small pan of water until tender, about 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
3. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Slice the mackerel into 1-inch squares. Dip the fish, a few pieces at a time, into the simmering water for 15 seconds to blanch, then transfer to the cold water. When you’ve blanched all the fish, drain it and dry on paper towels.
4. Combine the dashi, 2 cups water, sake, and miso in a bowl and whisk to blend.
5. Place the cabbage on the bottom of a large stockpot. Add the tofu, daikon, and oyster mushrooms, arranging each ingredient in a neat bunch. Pour in the broth.
6. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce heat to medium-low, and add the mackerel in a separate pile. Simmer ten minutes, reducing heat further if necessary to maintain a low simmer.
7. Serve in individual bowls, garnished with grated ginger and optional scallions.
Yield: 4 servings
spirit fish! wonderful! and officially getting over my fear of canned sardines and picking some up at lunch. already have the roland extra strong (thanks molly, now our mustard of choice!) and triscuits at home. oh hell yes.
So when you chop up the sardines, you chop them up as-is, head and everything, right?
Sarah, isn’t that Roland Extra Strong good? I’m sort of obsessed with it.
And OC, the sardines I bought (Albo and Angelo Parodi brands) didn’t have the heads on. But yep, I chopped them up as-is, straight from the can.
Love the podcast and your humor. Had Brunswick sardines on a Wheat Thins flatbread cracker – yum! Tried my hand at a Pissaladiere, but the anchovies were way too strong. I wish I’d thought to rinse them first. Thanks for the tip.
I feel so cheated. I’ve been to Kyoto and *never* had their official hotpot (or hatto patto as they’d probably say). Definitely going to try this at home. No fear of little fish at my house! We had them all the time. My baby brother and I used to fight over who got to eat the fish eyes… but that was a long time ago and we’ve matured since then (and have stopped eating fish eyes).
I’m in Kyoto right this second! Really. Not eating hot pot, though, since it’s 6:30am.
Triscuits, gosh some things don’t translate across the hemispheres, a tricky biscuit of some sort I imagine.