Japanese cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Tai Meshi (Sea Bream Rice)

A whole sea bream cooks on top of rice with dashi and kombu, then its tender flesh is folded through.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 sea bream (about 600g, cleaned and ready to cook)
• 300g sushi rice
• 450ml dashi
• 1 piece kombu (10cm)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 piece ginger (2cm)
• 2 scallions
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear and drain in a sieve for 20 minutes; salt the sea bream inside and out and let it rest for 15 minutes as well.
2. Pat the fish dry and brown it in a dry pan for 2 minutes on each side, until the skin has color – this gives the rice a roasted flavor later on.
3. Put the rice into a wide pot with the dashi, soy sauce, sake and mirin, and add the piece of kombu and the finely julienned ginger.
4. Place the whole fish on top of the rice, bring to a boil covered, cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the fish and kombu, flake the flesh off the skin and bones with two forks, carefully picking out every bone.
6. Return the fish flesh to the pot, gently fold it through the rice, and serve sprinkled with scallion rings and sesame seeds.