Miso Sablefish Tiradito & Miso Cod with Celeriac Puree and Fiddleheads

By: Tristan Guilbeault

Japanese food is always simple and well-executed, using high-quality ingredients as well as traditional flavours. Tiradito is a creation of Peruvian-Japanese immigrants, based on the classic ceviche, this style is presented more in the traditional form of sashimi. Using beautiful wild-caught BC Sablefish from Amaranth as well as delicious local Kawaya Miso, I have created a Nikkei-style tiradito that will be sure to impress guests and family who are sushi lovers!

Sablefish, butterfish, black cod, and coalfish; are all names for this delicious fish. Found off the coast of Alaska and Canada as well as the shores of Russia and Japan, this fish may be found in waters as deep as a mile. These frigid waters and high-pressure environment give the fish their iconic fat content. Sablefish is very high in omega-3s, lending it well for smoking and pan-searing because the fish will retain moisture. Here presenting it in the raw form of sashimi, it is buttery and rich like salmon but a lot milder in terms of flavour. Paired with salty miso, Japanese sweet potatoes and spicy Inca corn nuts, this appetizer will be sure to impress!

Miso Sablefish Tiradito

Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault

Dietary restrictions: Pescatarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, keto
Total Time: 1 hour 20 min | (Preparation): 20 minutes | (Cure): 1 hour
Yields: Feeds 4

Ingredients

Sablefish Sashimi

● 1⁄2 Sea Love Sablefish Fillet

● 3 tbsp Fine Salt (we recommend Vancouver Island Fine Sea Salt, Eden Foods Celtic Sea Salt, any variety of Redmonds Sea Salt)

● 3 tbsp Fine Sugar (we recommend our bulk section)

Miso Dressing

● 3 tablespoons Kawaya Shiro (White) Miso

● 1 tablespoon Gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce (we recommend San-J, Amano, Everland Organic)

● 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup (we recommend Uncle Luke’s, Carrick Bros)

● 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil (we recommend Maison Orphee, Everland)

● 2 Limes, juiced

● 1 clove Garlic, grated

● 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated

● 2 tbsp Water, to dilute

Garnish

● 1 handful of Giant Roasted Inca Corn

● 1⁄4 Red Onion, cut brunoise

● 1 purple Sweet Potato, peeled, diced and boiled

● Microgreens to garnish (I used Radish)

● Seven Spice Chili Oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Begin by curing the fish. Ensure it is fully thawed, cut the filet in half and reserve the tail portion for another recipe. Take off the skin by placing the fish skin side down with a hand pressing down on the fish, and gently run the knife along the skin slowly going back and forth. Mix together the cure using equal parts salt and sugar. Add the fish to a pan and liberally sprinkle the cure all over the fish. Set the fish in the fridge for 1 hour.

2. Cook the sweet potato. Peel (these can be saved for stock) and dice the sweet potato into small cubes. Add to a small pot and cover with water and 2 tsp of the cure to season. Cook on medium-high heat until soft around 15 minutes, strain and then set aside.

3. Make the dressing, add all ingredients to a bowl, or a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, it should be sweet, salty, bright and punchy. Cut the onion into a very small dice. Set both aside.

4. Using a long sharp knife, cut the fish thinly against the grain. Set the pieces aside.

5. Finely mince the garlic and add all ingredients into a blender. Blend using a hand or tabletop blender until the mixture is thick and emulsified like mayonnaise. Season to taste. Store in a clean jar or container in the fridge for up to three weeks.

6. Grab a plate and add a couple of tbsps of the miso dressing to the bottom, add the sliced sashimi into the middle, and garnish with the purple sweet potato, brunoise onion, Inca corn nuts, chili oil and microgreens. Serve immediately and enjoy!

SUBSTITUTIONS

The sablefish may be substituted with Arctic Char or Sockeye Salmon from Amaranth. The lime juice may be substituted with 1 tbsp Maison Orphee white wine vinegar or Makuran rice vinegar. The Inca corn nuts may be substituted with crispy amaranth or quinoa for people with a corn sensitivity. For the crispy amaranth follow the steps in the Alegria recipe. For the quinoa, it may be boiled and then fried in neutral oil.

CURING

Curing is a term often tossed around when talking about fish, but what does it really mean? Curing was developed as a way of preservation before fridges existed. A “cure” is typically made of only salt, but sugar, spices and herbs can be added. The world-famous salmon lox uses a salt, brown sugar, dill and black pepper cure. Another term that gets tossed around is sushi grade, in the United States and Canada this term is just a marketing ploy. “Sushi grade” means a high-quality fish frozen for one week at -20c or -35c for 15 hours. This process ensures that any parasites potentially present are dead, resulting in fish that is safe to eat raw. Cured fish does not need to be sushi grade for raw consumption. Curing is used here in this recipe to season the fish as well as help firm the fish up. After curing up to 15% of the weight of the fish may be gone!

Miso

Miso is a fantastic Japanese ingredient that I wasn’t always the biggest fan of. As a child, I found it too pungent and too salty. I’m not sure if this Kawaya Miso is just that good, or maybe I haven’t had good miso, but I love it! Miso is typically enjoyed in the morning or any time of day and is said to be one of the reasons Japanese people live so long! Kawaya miso is made from soybeans, koji and salt, it is full of nutrients and also contains all nine essential amino acids just like quinoa! It is also a great source of protein as well as prebiotics.

Tips

This recipe is a lot easier with a long sharp knife. The sablefish is very high in fat, so it needs a blade that will glide through. I do have some tips to help. First, use a small wet cloth under the cutting board to prevent it from moving around. Before slicing, leave the cured fish in the fridge prior for 20-30 minutes to help the fish stay firm. When slicing, run the knife under cold tap water so that the fat will not stick to the blade. When cutting ensure to only go back and forth 1-2 times, you do not want “seesaw” cuts as the grain of the fish will fall apart.

Storage

If you have any extra cured sablefish it will keep in the fridge for up to five days, or tightly wrapped in the freezer it will last up to three months. The miso dressing will last in the fridge for up to one week and any leftovers be may used in my broiled black cod recipe below. The excess cure may be stored in the pantry indefinitely.

Sablefish is a beautifully versatile fish, in contrast to the Sablefish Tiradito recipe above, here I have broiled the fish for ease and simplicity. Included in this recipe I’ve selected beautiful Canadian ingredients from Amaranth foods. Pairing the BC Sablefish with a silky smooth celeriac puree, pan-fried seasonal fiddleheads and toasty hazelnuts. This is a restaurant-quality dish that only requires a small amount of effort. Try this recipe inspired by Nobu’s famous Miso Black Cod, it will be sure to impress guests!

This recipe uses lesser-known vegetables and shows just how easy they can be to make delicious. Celeriac may look daunting, but it is quite simple to cook. Just like any root vegetable; a smooth, sweet puree is the way to go. Fiddleheads are another such vegetable, loaded with nutrients but also a short-growing season. They are similar in flavour to asparagus but are quite soft and lack the signature crunch. Hazelnuts are Alberta’s only indigenous nut; the beaked hazelnut may be commonly found in forests all over Alberta, I bet you’ve walked right past one without noticing! However the nuts themselves do require a significant amount of effort to pick through and deshell, so unless you are a squirrel I recommend using the packaged hazelnuts sold at Amaranth.

Miso Cod with Celeriac Puree and Fiddleheads

Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault

Dietary Restrictions: Pescatarian, gluten-free, keto
Total Time: Up to 2 nights + 55 min | (Preparation): 10 minutes | (Marinade): 1-48 hours | (Cooking): 45 minutes
Yields: Serves 2

Ingredients

Miso Black Cod

● 1⁄2 Sea Love Sablefish Filet (skin on)

● 1⁄2 batch Miso Dressing from *Tiradito Recipe (above)

Celeriac Puree

● 1 medium-sized Celeriac (250-300g)

● 1 small white or yellow Onion

● 1 clove Garlic

● 250ml Whipping Cream (we recommend Avalon Dairy, Bles-Wold, Rock Ridge Dairy, Vital Green Farms)

● Water, to cover

● 2 tbsp Butter (we recommend Rolling Meadows, St. Brigid’s Creamery A2 Jersey Grass-Fed, Savor Grass-Fed, Organic Meadows, Foothill Creamery, L’Ancetre)

Pan-Fried Fiddleheads

● 1 package (170g) West Coast Wild Foods BC Fiddleheads

● 2 tbsp Butter

● Salt and Pepper

Garnish

● 2 tbsps Toasted Hazelnuts, crushed

● The Ginger People Organic Pickled Sushi Ginger or homemade Pickled Onions (Recipe below)

● Microgreens (I used Radish)

Instructions

1. Beginning by prepping the Sablefish. Cut the filet or tail piece in half lengthwise, following the bloodline. Add to a container. Make the miso dressing and then cover the fish with it. Let the fish marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, up to 48 hours.

2. Toast the hazelnuts, add them to a pan and place in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. Take them out and throw them into a kitchen cloth, using your thumbs gently rub the skins off the hazelnuts through the kitchen cloth. Gently smash the deskinned hazelnuts with the side of a knife. Set aside.

3. Now make the celeriac puree. Trim the celeriac by cutting the top, bottom and edges, reserving for stock. Cut into cubes and add to a pot along with the chopped onion and whole piece of garlic. Add cream and then water to cover and set on medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until the celeriac is soft and falling apart. Add butter then add to a blender and blend until smooth, season with salt.

4. While the puree is cooking, blanch the fiddleheads. Wash them thoroughly then add to a pot boiling of water with 1 tablespoon salt. Boil for 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon butter to a pan on medium-low heat and let it lightly brown, once the fiddleheads are done add them to the pan. Season the fiddleheads well with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and pan-fry for 3-5 minutes or until they have gained colour on each side.

5. Set the oven to a 450-degree broil. Add the marinated fish skin side up onto a tray. Pat the fish dry as the miso marinade will burn and become bitter in the oven. Add to the oven on the second level below the element about 6-8 inches away. Cook for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

6. Plate by spooning the celeriac puree on the bottom, placing the fish skin side up on top, add the pan-fried fiddleheads on the side, sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts over, add some pickled onions and finally garnish with microgreens. Enjoy this delicious restaurant-quality dish with all Amaranth ingredients!

Quick Pickled Onions

● 2 medium-sized Red Onion, cut julienne

● 1 cup apple cider vinegar (we recommend Bragg, San Remo, Omega Nutrition)

● 2 Tbsp Beet Juice (we recommend Lakewood, Just Juice, Biotta Organic)

● 1 tbsp Sugar, preferred variety

● 1 tsp Salt

1. Clean the onions, cut out the stem then cut the onion julienne into thin strips. Add to a small clean jar.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir so the sugar dissolves then add to the jar, completely submerging the onions.

3. Let the onions cool down, then seal, shake and put in the fridge. Use these onions for sandwiches, charcuterie boards, salads, or any other dishes!

*This pickle will last up to one month in the fridge!

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads are an indigenous crop to Canada. Found only in temperate wet areas from late March to May. The ostrich fern is a perennial and every spring it releases new shoots to grow. As these shoots begin to unravel they are known as fiddleheads. Where I grew up we knew a small old-growth forest that contained many ferns, but if you get to them too late the shoots become quite bitter and impalpable like overgrown asparagus. Indigenous tribes harvested them and still do, but commercial fiddlehead picking exists as well and is the reason why we have these delicious wild vegetables on our plates today!

Fiddleheads are a very healthy wild green, full of antioxidants, omega acids, iron and fibre! The taste is similar to that of spring peas and asparagus, they have a grassy nutty flavour that is hard to replicate. When cooking them, ensure to boil for at least 10 minutes, this ensures they are 100% safe to eat. Fiddleheads have such a short season and whether you are foraging them yourself or have a great grocery store nearby like Amaranth they are tough to find. Regarding substitutions, Amaranth will have delicious local green beans right around the corner and asparagus is sold year-round.