Recipe: Black Sea Bass w/Somen and Vegetables

Yagihashi's Black Sea Bass with Somen and Vegetables

SERVINGS: 4

BROTH

1 quart water
3 stalks fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced crosswise
One 8-by-2-inch piece of kombu (seaweed)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 medium jalape o
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

SOMEN AND VEGETABLES

6 ounces somen noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 cup snow peas, sliced lengthwise 1/2-inch thick
1 cup finely shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup mung-bean sprouts
1/2 cup daikon radish matchsticks
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce

SEA BASS

Four 6-ounce black sea bass fillets, with skin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

1. MAKE THE BROTH: Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and return it to the saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

2. PREPARE THE SOMEN AND VEGETABLES: In a saucepan of boiling water, cook the somen until tender but still slightly chewy, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

3. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the shiitakes, snow peas, cabbage, bean sprouts, daikon, onion and carrot and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir- fry over high heat until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce; remove from the heat.

4. PREPARE THE SEA BASS: Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the fish, skin-side down, and cook over moderately high heat until the skin is crisp, about 4 minutes. Turn the fillets and cook until just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes longer.

5. Bring the broth to a boil. Stir-fry the vegetables over high heat to rewarm them. Put the noodles in 4 shallow soup bowls and pour the boiling broth over them. Spoon the vegetables over the noodles and top with the fish, skin-side up. Sprinkle with the chives, basil, cilantro and sesame seeds and serve.