tablespoons mirin
12 sashimi-quality aka gai (ark shells)
Natural sea salt
8 nano hana (rape shoots), substitute with broccoli, blanched in salted water and refreshed
6 1/2 oz (200 g) yamato imo (Japanese yam), peeled and grated (optional)
Sliver-cut kizami non (laver), substitute with normal nori (laver) torn with your fingers (optional)
7 teaspoons (10 g) fresh wasabi, substitute with frozen fresh or tube wasabi
Ark shells, also known as blood clams due to their red flesh, can grow up to 5 in (12 cm) in diameter. As with all other shellfish—with the exception of abalone—they are considered a spring delicacy. You might have seen your sushi chef slap one onto his cutting board and watch it curl up. This procedure is to determine its freshness. Omit the Japanese yam if it is not available or if you are not fond of its slippery texture.
1 Bring the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and cool. Chill in refrigerator when completely cooled.
2 Place ark shells in a bowl and gently rub them with some natural sea salt. Rinse them under running water, pat dry with paper towel, and slice in half. Take the thinner half, make an incision in its thicker portion, and slap it onto a cutting board. This makes it open up into a shape resembling a hand.
3 Make a Crosshatch pattern on the remaining half by scoring it with diagonal lines using a very sharp knife, then turning it and scoring diagonally across the lines already made.
4 Spoon the grated yam into the bottom of a serving bowl, arrange ark shells and rape shoots on top, then pour the chilled sauce on top. Garnish with the laver slivers and grated wasabi if desired.
Halfbeak sashimi layered with salted plum sauce
Sayori no bai niku kasane zukuri
Serves 4
1/2 shiro uri (Oriental pickling melon), substitute with Western cucumber
2 sashimi-quality sayori (halfbeak fish), substitute with any firm-fleshed white fish
2 sheets white konbu (white dried kelp), substitute with oboro konbu (shaved, presoaked kelp), or omit
1 heaped tablespoon bai niku (salted plum paste)
Salt
Koikuchi shoyu (soy sauce)
Fresh wasabi, substitute with frozen fresh or tube wasabi
Sayori, or halfbeak, is a very long and lean white fish—similar in appearance to gar—which is in season in spring. Here, the fish is layered with salted plum paste. You may substitute halfbeak with other firm-fleshed white fish but make sure the fish is absolutely fresh. The bone garnish may be omitted if you dislike the way it looks but it's full of calcium, delicious, and has a crunchy texture.
1 Cut the pickling melon in half lengthwise and discard the seeds. Lightly sprinkle with salt and set aside.
2 Fillet one fish into three sections (see page 244), ensuring that the backbone is removed with the head and tail attached. Fillet the second fish into five sections (see page 246), removing the backbone but this time discarding the head and tail. Sprinkle the removed backbones with salt and air-dry for 3 hours.
3 Wrap and tie the first backbone (with the attached head and tail) around a flame-proof circular object, such as a round cookie cutter. The other backbone should be left flat. Grill both backbones over low heat on a charcoal grill or gently broil them under an oven grill.
5 Using tweezers, remove any fine bones from the two-section fillet, taking care not to break the flesh. Place the fillet, skin side up, on a cutting board and remove the skin from the head side by pulling it off with your fingers. Spread plum paste on the inner side of the fillet and sandwich the white konbu. Transfer to a flat container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6 Remove the skin from the four-section fillet in the same way. Refrigerate.
7 Cut the sandwiched fillets across into 3 equal slices, stack them into a single pile, and slice across into strips about 5 mm thick.
8 Place the gourd on a serving platter and arrange two-thirds of the sandwiched fish strips in the gourd with the cross-section facing forward.
9 Place a piece of white konbu on the serving dish, with the circular backbone on top. Arrange the remaining sandwiched strips on the plate and place the remaining backbone on top. Arrange the five-section fillets next to the circular bone. These fillets can be eaten with soy sauce and wasabi.
Sesame-coated green asparagus
Grin asupara no goma yaki
Serves 4
12 green asparagus (medium width), washed thoroughly, lower stalk snapped off, outer skin peeled if necessary
12 paper-thin pork slices (about 7 in by 3 in), long enough to spiral wrap the asparagus, substitute with bacon or prosciutto (if too thin, you may use two slices of pork to wrap the asparagus)
Natural sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 cup (100 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
5 oz (150 g) white sesame seeds
2 eggs, beaten thoroughly
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
14 teaspoons (20 g) wagarashi ko (powdered Japanese mustard) mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons hot water to form a smooth paste
1/4 cup (60 ml) koikuchi shoyu (soy sauce)
Asparagus is not a traditional Japanese vegetable but is now being cultivated in Hokkaido in the northern part of Japan. This recipe brings a variety of flavors and textures to the sometimes bland asparagus. The crunchy sesame coating is mouth-watering and can, of course, be prepared without pork if you wish.
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, gas 4).
2 Wrap the asparagus tightly with the pork by starting at the lower end and spiraling up to the tips. Squeeze in your hands so that the pork adheres well. Season the wrapped asparagus with salt and pepper.
3 Spread the flour and sesame separately in flat, shallow containers. Beat the eggs thoroughly
