So this time, we decided to make them the star of the show.
Chef Spouse and I stopped by District Fishwife to procure sushi-grade sable, sea bass, and kanpachi (aka amberjack).
Meanwhile, the Executive Committee researched various preparations, and landed on three options:
Traditional (lime, red onion, cilantro)
There are several variables here: type of fish, type of preparation, and length of curing / cooking. We managed to lab the first two, but did not really lab the third (although, to be honest, Kenji had pretty much already done the heavy lifting there - tl;dr? 5-30 minutes, with 15 being his sweet spot).
On the type of fish front, the clear winner was the kanpachi, followed by the sea bass, with the sable a distant third.
On the preparation front?
Leche de tigre, no contest. Even our super-tasters preferred this somewhat spicy version to the other two (and yes, you really do need to get amarillo chile paste to make it work - there is no acceptable substitute; fortunately, it's fairly easy to find online or at a well-stocked Asian or Latino market).
The thing that struck me the most about the other preparations was that they seemed one-dimensional. And looking back to our previous Lab, I think I know why. One, we added a lot more "stuff" for flavoring: jalapeños, garlic, avocado, olive oil. Two, we used more than one type of curing liquid: grapefruit, orange, lemon, and pineapple all played a role. We were going with a very purist approach in this attempt, so it's understandable. But I think the next time we make this, we'll throw in more extras and taste the curing liquid for balance before our fish goes for its brief swim.
To drink?
Pisco sours, followed by mezcal margaritas.
So what happened with the lomi salmon?
It accompanied us and a pitcher of REAL hurricanes (no alcoholic red Kool-Aid here, only Goslings Black Seal rum, 100% passionfruit puree, lemon, and demerara syrup) to Wolf Trap that evening, along with Mad Kitchen Scientist's delicious coconut cream sticky rice for dessert. Why that? Because we showed up with a pile of ripe champagne mangoes, and MKS has a well-stocked pantry ;)
Quoting Mad Kitchen Scientist:
The coconut cream sticky rice follows “Thai Food” cookbook by David Thompson. Cooking sticky rice in the InstaPot follows Amy & Jacky (pressurecookrecipes.com).
364 g sticky rice
1 1/4 c water
1 400ml can of coconut cream
400ml table sugar
(optional) 2 egg yolks (because they were generated in the course of making pisco sours)
Soak rice 45 min in warm water
Meanwhile, heat the coconut cream, table sugar, and egg yolks until yolks are cooked through to create a runny custard.
Then steam the rice in the “pot in a pot” style: water directly in the InstaPot, with a rack in the bottom, then the rice in a bowl set on the rack inside the InstaPot.
Cook at high pressure for 12 min, then let pressure release naturally.
Combine hot rice with custard and eat pretty much at any temperature. It has tasted good at each tasting, with the texture trending toward thick congee.
One more key note: MKS's niece, who lost her job in the recent DOGEing of all our useful and good federal government functions and is moving to Boston as a result, was able to join us for one last FL before she departs, so we realized we needed to name her before she goes. So aloha to the Health & Savory Inspector.
Posts
