Japanese Abalone Simmered in Sake Recipe

Serves/Makes: 2

Ingredients:

• 8-12 small fresh or canned abalone (about 7-10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup Basic Dashi* Stock (see below) or 1/4 teaspoon dashi* stock granules dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sake
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated young ginger
• 1 tablespoon tamari or dark soy sauce

How to cook Japanese Abalone Simmered in Sake:

• Rinse the abalone well and blanch in hot water.
• Make criss-cross incisions on the back of each abalone.
• Combine the dashi stock, sake, sugar, soy sauce, ginger and tamari in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add the abalone and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the abalone and serve immediately.

Basic Dashi Stock (Bonita Flake) Ingredients:

• 4-inch square piece konbu**, wiped clean
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 ounces bonito*** flakes

How to cook Basic Dashi Stock (Bonita Flake):

• Cut konbu square into 4 narrow strips. Place in a saucepan with 4 cups water and cook over medium heat. Heat until just about to boil, then quickly remove pan from the heat, remove and discard konbu.
• Add the cold water and bonito flakes to the konbu broth. Bring to a boil then remove immediately from heat, and set aside to cool.
• When all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom, pour the liquid over a strain and discard the flakes.

Comments:
The Japanese Abalone Simmered in Sake dish is delicious, simple, and really easy to cook.

*Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking.

**Konbu, a kind of seaweed. It is associated with the word yorokobu, meaning “joy”.

***In Japanese cuisine outside Japan, bonito usually refers to the skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), which is known as katsuo in Japan. This fish is smoked and dried to make katsuobushi, an important ingredient in making dashi (Japanese fish stock), used extensively in Japanese cuisine.

Tip:
How to prepare abalone for cooking.

This recipe for Japanese Abalone Simmered in Sake serves/makes: 2

Main Ingredient: Abalone
Preparation Method: Poached/Simmered
Cuisine: Japanese