Gochujang-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass...Gochujang-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass in Spicy Lemongrass-Ginger Dashi

Pan-seared, melt-in-your-mouth Chilean sea bass lacquered with a sweet-and-spicy Korean chili glaze, resting in a fragrant, fiery lemongrass-infused dashi broth.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a medium saucepan, combine 500ml of water, kombu, bruised lemongrass, sliced ginger, and the split Thai bird's eye chili. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat; do not boil. Simmer for 10 minutes to extract the aromatics.

2. 02

   Remove the kombu from the broth, then add the katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Turn off the heat and let the flakes steep for 3 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Return the clear, spicy dashi to a clean pot, season with a splash of light soy sauce to taste, and keep warm.

3. 03

   In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang, mirin, honey, grated garlic, and toasted sesame oil until smooth and emulsified to create the spicy lacquer.

4. 04

   Pat the sea bass fillets completely dry with paper towels. Season the flesh side lightly with sea salt. Heat a film of neutral oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fish skin-side down, pressing gently with a spatula for 30 seconds to prevent curling. Sear for 4 minutes until the skin is exceptionally crisp.

5. 05

   Flip the fish, then generously brush the crispy skin side with the prepared gochujang lacquer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and flakes beautifully.

6. 06

   Meanwhile, steam the halved baby bok choy in a small steamer basket for 2 minutes until tender-crisp and vibrant green.

7. 07

   To assemble, pour a shallow pool of the warm lemongrass-ginger dashi into two deep rimmed bowls. Place two halves of steamed bok choy in the center of each. Gently nestle the glazed sea bass fillet on top, skin-side up. Finish with a few drops of artisanal chili oil in the dashi and garnish with microgreens if desired.