Tai-meshi (JP) is mixed rice with delicious seasonal sea bream fillet. The fish is light and fluffy. Cooking the fishbones will increase the savory taste. If sea bream is available in your country, you should definitely try this recipe out.

Cooking Information

Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 2

Ingredients

Main
1 Tai Fillet – Sea Bream (with bones) or substitute: red snapper
180ml Rice (6.1 fl oz)
200ml Water (6.8 fl oz)
1 tbsp Sake
⅓~½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Soy Sauce
4x5cm Dashi Kombu Seaseed (1½x2 in)
5g Ginger Root, Shredded (0.18 oz)

Toppings
4 sprigs of Kinome – Young Leaves of Sansho Pepper
Kinome Substitute: Mitsuba Parsley or Shiso Leaves
Toasted White Sesame Seeds

Directions

1. Rinse rice beforehand. Add rice, water and seaweed into pot. Rest 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle salt on fillet both sides. Pour sake over it. Rest 10 minutes.
3. Remove excess water from fillet with paper towel before placing on grill with skin facing down.
4. Flip when skin browns. Lightly brown other side. Place fillet on plate once done.
5. Add salt, sake and soy sauce to rice. Lightly stir. Place fillet and shredded ginger in.
6. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Close lid completely. Use low heat. Simmer 12 minutes.
7. Turn off burner. Rest 10 minutes to allow rice cook completely.
8. Take out fillet and seaweed from pot.
9. Remove fish bones. Slice it to bite-size pieces. Roughly crumble fillet.
10. Cut seaweed into thin strips.
11. Return ingredients into pot. Mix it with rice.
12. Place mixed ingredients into a bowl. Sprinkle sesame seed. Garnish with Kinome leaves.

Tips

1. Resting rice for 30 minutes helps make rice tender, delicious and fluffy once its steamed.
2. Apply vinegar onto the grill to prevent fillet from sticking.
3. Smack Kinome leaves in your palm palm to increase its aroma.
4. Sea Bream can be substituted with Red Snapper.

Video

[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=824sqG_QBAE]