buying and preparing fish/seafood

[Hiroyuki]

From http://mytown.asahi.com/hokkaido/news02.asp?c=37&kiji=189

At Kado ya, which specializes in serving grilled whelks, they quickly boil the whelks, pull out the flesh a little, and remove the salivary glands before grilling.

Here is a better photo of the salivary glands:

http://www.iph.pref.hokkaido.jp/Tokushu/To...oku/kaidoku.htm

Scroll down to the bottom, and you will see the photo.

This webpage says that the pair of glands is pale yellow to milk-white in color, and can easily be removed by hand.

[piazzola]

Long ago must be thirty o somehing years I had a Japanese partner(ex deep water fisherman) who used to make a delightful version of tuna steaks with a home made sauce and at that time it was awfully diifficult to get Japanese ingedients let alone Asian ingredients in my country so he resorted to some alternative and the soy sauce had to be smuggled into the country but he alsoused the local Cizano vermouth a good dash

He would fry the steaks in a deep pan and then glaze with this sauce which would give the fiish shiny and crispy finish yet it was tender inside

I wonder if there is a Japanese recipe using similar method?

thank you

[torakris]

Sounds like teriyaki!

In Japan the sake and mirin would be used for the vermouth...

Teriyaki thread

[piazzola]

Sounds like teriyaki!

In Japan the sake and mirin would be used for the vermouth...

Teriyaki thread

←

LOL! SO you mean I had teriyaki thirty years ago even if it was tuna steaks and I did not know I had it!? Anyway I thought it was really good

If anyone hasn't tried sweet vermouth yet it is time

[Kent Wang]

I've experimenting lately with making a Japanese version of crab cakes, using tempura batter, Kewpie mayonnaise and panko. What other Japanese ingredients can I substitute to make it more Japanese? Here is my current recipe that I've adapted from a recipe I found in RecipeGullet

1lb crab meat

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup tempura batter

4 Tbsp Kewpie mayo

2 tsp Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup panko

1. Mix first eight ingredients together.

2. Form cakes, dip in panko, fry.

The panko is an especially nice improvement over plain ol' bread crumbs. Also, the removal of the bread for tempura batter 1) increases the percentage of crab meat in each cake and 2) results in a smoother consistency.

I'd like to replace the Tony Chachere with a more Japanese seasoning, but what? What do you think about oyster sauce? Is it a Japanese ingredient or only Chinese?

This recipe is nearly all crab meat with some filler and could use some more substantive ingredients to add some textural interest. I usually like to have some chopped celery and capers in my traditional crab cakes, but what Japanese analogues would you use? How about wakame?

Do you think this is an all together silly exercise? I just thought of the idea when looking through my pantry. For the record, I am Chinese and have very little experience with real Japanese food.

[petite tête de chou]

Perhaps you could replace the Creole seasoning with your favorite furikake?

Such as one of these?

[sanrensho]

I'd like to replace the Tony Chachere with a more Japanese seasoning, but what? What do you think about oyster sauce? Is it a Japanese ingredient or only Chinese?

Oyster sauce is not a traditional ingredient in Japanese cooking, but it is very common and widely used in Japan for Chinese dishes, etc.

To be honest, it sounds like you're halfway to a kani korokke (Japanese crab croquette), which is very common in Japan. If I recally correctly, Iron Chef Morimoto did a version on the crab battle.

I think a Japanese version of your recipe would avoid heavy seasonings like the creole seasoning and oyster sauce in order to avoid killing the flavour of the crab. Perhaps you could mix some sesame (but not oil) in for textural interest.

Do you think this is an all together silly exercise?

It isn't silly if it tastes good.

[AzianBrewer]

What kind of crab are you going to use?? I have tried using chopped snowcrab legs in lieu of Maryland blue crab and it came out pretty good. I would probably spice up my Kewpie dip by adding some wasabi.

[Kent Wang]

What kind of crab are you going to use??  I have tried using chopped snowcrab legs in lieu of Maryland blue crab and it came out pretty good.  I would probably spice up my Kewpie dip by adding some wasabi.

←

My first few batches were with Gulf of Mexico blue crab meat. My preference is actually claw meat, which my fishmonger is currently out of.

Petite tête de chou, thanks for the suggestion. I just bought two kinds of furikake and am dying to try them out later today or tomorrow.

[Kent Wang]

To be honest, it sounds like you're halfway to a kani korokke (Japanese crab croquette), which is very common in Japan. If I recally correctly, Iron Chef Morimoto did a version on the crab battle.

←

I have never heard of these before, and a quick search on Google shows that these always have potato as an additional filler. Is that true?

In any case, I do see the similarity and will try to tweak the recipe to set it apart from the kani korokke.

[sanrensho]

I have never heard of these before, and a quick search on Google shows that these always have potato as an additional filler. Is that true?

Yes, a lot of the kani korokke recipes do use potato and a bechamel sauce.

[Hiroyuki]

In Japan, tofu hamburger is quite popular. You just add drained tofu (usually cotton tofu) to ground beef and fried onion, like this:

http://dinner.nekosuke.net/archives/000971.html

It's in Japanese only. Just look at the photos.

I think you can substitute it for milk.

Tempura batter means... what? Egg and cake flour mixture?

In Japan, oyster sauce is quite popular, but is considered purely Chinese. To make your crab cakes Japanese, maybe you should use soy sauce, soy sauce + mirin, or soy sauce + mirin + sake.

Wakame? Hm... just give it a try, but I would prefer hijiki or edamame (young soybeans).

[Hiroyuki]

Besides kani korokke, shinjo may provide some hints.

Shrimp shinjo is quite popular in Japan, but crab shinjo is popular too.

A recipe for shrimp shinjo can be found here.

Shinjo is basically a combination of surimi (ground fish meat), grated yam, katakuriko (potato starch), egg (either whole egg or white only), and so on.

[torakris]

In my opinion to make it more Japanese I would definitely take out the seasonings and oyster sauce, instead serve it with a wasabi-mayo dressing.

If you can find it, a dab of yuzu-koshou mixed in with the crab would be wonderful. Yuzu-koshou is a paste made of green chiles and yuzu (a type of citrus)

[sanrensho]

instead serve it with a wasabi-mayo dressing.

If you can find it, a dab of yuzu-koshou mixed in with the crab would be wonderful.

←

Good call on the wasabi-mayo dressing and yuzu koshou. Kent could also make a dashi-based dipping sauce, possibly with a citrus accent or yuzu koshou.

[Kent Wang]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm currently forced to experiment only with salmon and tuna instead of crab meat while I wait for my fishmonger to get claw meat back in stock.

Here is my current recipe:

1lb crab meat

1/4 cup tempura batter

1/4 cup Kewpie mayo

2 Tbsp furikake

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup panko

Yes, for the tempura batter I'm just using the stuff in the box whose component ingredients are just cornstarch, flour, baking powder and powdered egg. Should I replace this premade batter with flour?

There is a lot of mayo in it. Do you think this is un-Japanese or un-crab cake? I do like the Kewpie mayo a lot more than typical American mayo (e.g. Helmann's).

I want to bring this dish to a potluck so a dipping sauce is unpractical for serving purposes, but maybe I can put a dollop of a thicker sauce on top of each cake. I am looking at the Japanese salad dressings thread for inspiration. The wasabi-mayo sounds like a good idea. It's just mayo and powdered wasabi, or is there anything else? I suppose if I use that dressing, I'll remove the mayo from the cakes themselves.

Edamame is an excellent idea.

[sanrensho]

There is a lot of mayo in it. Do you think this is un-Japanese or un-crab cake? I do like the Kewpie mayo a lot more than typical American mayo (e.g. Helmann's).

I would leave the mayo out and go with the wasabi mayo. A mayonnaise or tartar-style sauce is pretty common with kani korokke, which is in the same vein as your crab cakes.

Edited January 20, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[origamicrane]

wrap a strip of nori around the cake before frying will make it instantly identifible as a japanese dish!!

try:

a sprinke of wasabi powder actually into the batter itself if you can take the heat put more in

chop some shiso leaf into the crab meat.

add a squeeze of lemon inot the tempura dip

[Hiroyuki]

Yes, for the tempura batter I'm just using the stuff in the box whose component ingredients are just cornstarch, flour, baking powder and powdered egg. Should I replace this premade batter with flour?

←

No, I was just curious as to what you meant by tempura batter because your ingredient list included an egg and baking powder as well. Tempura mix is fine, although my wife makes good tempura with just an egg, hakuriki ko (similar to cake flour in the United States), and water.

As for mayo, there are many Japanese who adore it. In fact, there are those who are called mayoraa (sp?). They are a kind of people who are too ready to put mayo on everything.

We have a thread on mayo in the Japan Forum:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...2965&hl=mayoraa

Sorry you can't put a dipping sauce, 'cause it will be a great idea to prepare different types of dipping sauce such as teriyaki and yuzu kosho sauces and let the diners choose what they want.

[AzianBrewer]

To be honest, it sounds like you're halfway to a kani korokke (Japanese crab croquette), which is very common in Japan. If I recally correctly, Iron Chef Morimoto did a version on the crab battle.

←

I have never heard of these before, and a quick search on Google shows that these always have potato as an additional filler. Is that true?

In any case, I do see the similarity and will try to tweak the recipe to set it apart from the kani korokke.

←

Add potato you get korokkes or croquettes and bread crumb for crab cakes. I like to use the Italian bread crumb as a filler and panko to coat the patties.

[vinnecooks]

This is the way the crab cakes will be on the opening menu at my restaurant.

4oz shrimp meat blend the first three items in a food processer until a

1/2 c of cream mousse forms.

1 egg white

fresh herbs

mint,basil,cilantro etc fold the mousse into a bowl with containing

8oz crab meat the remaining ingredents then add panko until

1/2 c creme fraiche your happy with the texture.

1 tbsp yuzu juice

yuzu zest dust the cakes with panko and togarashi and saute

togarashi spice it grapeseed oil

serve with a salad of watercress,fennel,hearts of palm and cashews dressed with seasame oil and rice vinagar

[torakris]

vinnecooks,

those sound great!

I like the combination of the yuzu, herbs and togarashi. Also mixing them with shrimp based mousse makes them sound lighter.

I really need to make crab cakes...

Edited to add:

Welcome to eGullet and the Japan forum!

Edited January 23, 2006 by torakris (log)

[Kent Wang]

Edamame turned out poorly as the beans are just too big, relative to the cake. Something like capers or peas would be the ideal size. Are there are any Japanese peas that fit the bill?

I then tried wakame which was really heavenly. I am feel that I am very close to finalizing this recipe.

1lb crab meat

4 Tbsp tempura batter

3 Tbsp Kewpie mayo

3 Tbsp furikake

4 Tbsp wakame, reconstituted

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup panko

[Hiroyuki]

Edamame turned out poorly as the beans are just too big, relative to the cake. Something like capers or peas would be the ideal size. Are there are any Japanese peas that fit the bill?

I then tried wakame which was really heavenly. I am feel that I am very close to finalizing this recipe.

←

Edamame beans are too big? Sorry to hear that. They are a nice addition to shinjo, though. Maybe you can cut them into smaller bits.

Just curious, what is the name of the furikake you are using?

[Kent Wang]

Edamame beans are too big?  Sorry to hear that.  They are a nice addition to shinjo, though.  Maybe you can cut them into smaller bits.

Just curious, what is the name of the furikake you are using?

←

Maybe it's a matter of taste as well; I don't really like edamame very much.

I am using salmon furikake manufactured by Ajishima Foods. Contents are salmon, sesame seed, seaweed, sugar, salt.