Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa, in Los Angeles more than 20 years ago. Nobu, in New York, followed six years later, and he now oversees 21 restaurants around the world. Among his latest is Nobu Miami, where Thomas Buckley serves as executive chef and most dishes are based on Florida’s abundant fresh seafood and tropical fruits.
In their new cookbook, Nobu Miami: The Party Cookbook (Kodansha), Matsuhisa and Buckley distill influences from Japanese and South American—particularly Peruvian—cuisine. For this cooked version of their ever-popular Nobu Sashimi With Dry Miso, the Japanese seaweed known as kombu is placed into a steamer along with a fillet of Chilean sea bass. “Make sure, of course, not to cook it too much,” they write, “just until it flakes when you insert a fork or chopstick.”
Recipe of the week
Steamed Chilean Sea Bass With Dry Miso
Other lean fish can be used. Yuzu juice can be purchased online at some specialty stores.
6 Chilean sea bass fillets, 6 oz each, skin-off
Sea salt
6 pieces dried kombu, each 4-inch-square
1 quart sake
1⁄2 cup white dry miso (use white miso)
1⁄2 cup red dry miso (use red miso)
6 tsp yuzu juice
6 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic chips
Chives, as garnish
Sprinkle each fillet with a little sea salt. Place kombu on tray; top each square with fillet. Pour sake over; cover with plastic wrap; set in steamer. Steam until fillets are just cooked, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Arrange fillets with kombu on warm serving plate. Drizzle fish with a little yuzu juice and olive oil. Cover fish with white dry miso and red dry miso. Top with garlic chips and chives. Serves 6.
Dry miso
2⁄3 cup miso (any type of cooking miso—red, white, or yellow—works well)
Using palette knife, spread miso as thinly as possible on non-stick baking mat. Place in warm area to dry out naturally, for 1 to 2 days. Alternatively, dry in a 230-degree oven for 1 to 2 hours, being careful not to allow miso to darken. Crumble evenly. Keep in airtight container. Makes about ½ cup.
Garlic chips
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 cup whole milk
3 cups canola oil
Preheat oil to 300 degrees. Place garlic, milk in saucepan; bring to boil to remove bitterness. After a few seconds, remove garlic. Wash in cold water, pat dry. Deep-fry garlic slices in oil over low heat. When they turn light golden, transfer immediately to paper-lined dish (they will continue to cook).
