Snapper Rice [鯛めし/鲷鱼砂锅饭]

Snapper Rice [TaiMeshi]

Majority Japanese like to eat red snapper, it is referred as King of the fish. A whole grilled red snapper is a must item for new year celebration on 1st January, and other joyful occasions like child's first birthday. This snapper dish is very popular in Japan, some people like to eat it as chazuke (茶漬け) by pouring hot green tea into a bowl of snapper rice. Another snapper recipe for fish lovers as promised.


Japanese words:  鲷 (tai) means snapper, and 飯/めし (meshi) is rice. "Han" is another pronunciation for rice with same Kanji (Chinese character), most Kanji has multiples pronunciation which often confused me. After living in Japan for slightly over two years, I heard some parents from boys' kindergarten saying my Japanese language improved a lot. Proud for myself for a second. 


Snapper Rice [鯛めし/鲷鱼饭]  

Ingredients:
  • 2 cup Japanese rice 
  • 200 g red snapper (红鲷)
  • *1 tsp sake
  • *salt 
  • 10 cm konbu
  • 1 slice ginger
  • Green herbs for garnish 

Seasonings:
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1/2 tbsp syoyu
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Method:
  1. Wash rice and rinse till water running clear, then soak it for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, marinate snapper with sake and salt. Then, grill it until it is cooked. Set aside.
  3. Combine: Put rice in rice cooker pot, at in seasoning ingredients, and enough water to reach water mark for 2 cup of rice. Stir to mix.
  4. Put in ginger, konbu and grilled snapper. Close the lid and cook it as if cooking plain rice.
  5. To serve, discard ginger and konbu. Transfer fish to a plate, remove bones then put the flesh back to rice cooker and mix together with rice.
  6. Transfer to serving bowls, garnish and serve warm.
  7. Note: It is usually garnished with kinome (young leaf of Japanese pepper/ 山椒) but you can use other herbs.

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