Replicating Favorites: Chilean Sea Bass in Mushroom Ginger Broth
Sometimes, all it takes is one sip. And it was one sip of the halibut in a dashi broth at Kinshop that brought me back to my childhood, to my grandmother’s table. She used to make these amazingly fresh river fish in a fragrant broth for me and the best part was that it was great for you as well! The version at Kinshop was clean and light, complex in its simplicity. After giving the dish a bit of thought and a little guidance from my parents, I decided to give this a try in my own kitchen last Sunday. While ideally, I wanted a nice piece of red snapper for its flaky tender meat, I had to settle for what was available at Chelsea Market and left with Chilean sea bass instead.
The dish has a few simple parts and the first step is to make a flavorful broth by steeping all sorts of aromatics in a fish stock. I cheated a little and bought a pint of fish stock from Lobster Place which I diluted with equal amounts of water. Next, I added in smashed ginger pieces, scallions, Shaoxing rice wine, kombu, shallots and ham slices.
While the broth is steeping, I marinate the Chilean sea bass filet in a little bit of ginger, scallion, rice wine, soy sauce and a dash of corn starch.
After approximately 20-30 minutes, I strained out the broth and return what is left to the pot and gently slid the fish in along with slices of trumpet and hen of the woods mushroom. All this needed was 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet on medium heat, a few slices of scallions and ham and dinner is ready! I enjoyed this with a side dish of sauteed sugar snap peas and a small bowl of rice to soak up some of that delicious broth.
Chilean Sea Bass in Mushroom Ginger Broth
Serves 1
- 1 pint fish stock
- 1 pint filtered water
- 4-5 chunks + 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3-4 scallions
- 1 shallot, sliced roughly
- Ham slices, cut into matchstick size
- 4 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- Kombu pieces
- 1/3 pound fish filet, Chilean Sea Bass or Red Snapper or Black Cod
- Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup mushrooms, trumpet and hen of the woods, sliced
- Salt and black pepper
- Bring the fish stock, water, a few chunks of ginger, 3 scallions (cut into 2 inch long pieces), shallot, ham, 2 tablespoons of rice wine and kombu to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- While the broth is steeping, marinate the filet in 2 tablespoons of ginger and 2 tablespoons of rice wine and a dash of soy sauce. Toss in the corn starch and coat well.
- When the broth has been steeping for at least 20 minutes, strain out the contents. Bring the broth back to a simmer and add in the fish filet along with the mushrooms. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the fish is cooked, depending on the thickness of the fish.
- Sprinkle with scallion and ham slices and black pepper at the end.
Sometimes I Crave... 