Steamed Day-Boat Halibut in...Steamed Day-Boat Halibut in Smoked Shiitake & Sencha Dashi

Pristine halibut gently steamed over aromatic kelp, bathed in an antioxidant-rich green tea and smoked wild mushroom broth, garnished with compressed kohlrabi and coastal succulents.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the dashi base: Combine 800ml of cold filtered water, kombu, and smoked shiitake in a saucepan. Bring slowly to 60°C over 20 minutes, then remove the kombu. Increase heat to 80°C and maintain for 10 minutes to extract the mushroom essence.

2. 02

   Finish the broth: Remove the broth from heat. Add the sencha tea leaves and let steep gently for precisely 2 minutes and 30 seconds to extract catechins without bitterness. Strain immediately through a fine-mesh chinois lined with oilcloth. Season with a pinch of sea salt and half the yuzu juice; keep warm at 65°C.

3. 03

   Compress the kohlrabi: Toss the paper-thin kohlrabi ribbons with the remaining yuzu juice and a tiny pinch of salt. Vacuum-seal or press tightly between parchment paper for 10 minutes to render them tender and crystalline.

4. 04

   Glaze the morels: Place the halved morels into a small skillet with 60ml of the prepared dashi. Simmer gently over medium-low heat for 4 minutes until tender, glossy, and coated in reduced mushroom liquor.

5. 05

   Steam the halibut: Lightly season the halibut medallions with fine sea salt. Place in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment and steam gently over simmering water at low heat (approx. 75°C-80°C ambient) for 6 to 7 minutes, until the core reaches 48°C and flakes cleanly.

6. 06

   Plate and serve: Place one steamed halibut medallion in the center of each pre-warmed shallow ceramic bowl. Artfully drape ribbons of compressed kohlrabi, glazed morels, and fresh sea purslane over and around the fish. Tableside, pour 100ml of the piping hot sencha-shiitake dashi around the perimeter, and finish with several drops of emerald perilla oil.