05 Feb Hoi Polloi Salmon
This gorgeous dish comes to us courtesy of Bun Lai, owner of Miya Sushi in New Haven, CT. Chef Lai says, “I wanted to create a salmon dish that the average person afraid of raw fish would like – a salmon dish for the masses -therefore called hoi polloi salmon. I like to see this dish as sashimi with a Mexican-Italian twist because Mexicans are closely related to the Japanese – they were only separated from one another towards the end of the last Ice Age!”
4 servings
Ingredients
14 ounces freshest salmon (make sure all bones, skin and fat are removed), cut into small dice
½ cup tomato, small dice
½ cup Spanish onion, small dice
1/3 cup capers
2 tablespoons of the caper juice
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup red pepper, small dice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 flour tortillas
Vegetable oil, for frying
Equipment
Fryer, or a small heavy-bottomed saucepan for frying the tortillas
Preparation
Prepare the salmon:
Combine all ingredients (except tortillas and vegetable oil) in a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set the mixture aside in the refrigerator to keep chilled.
Prepare the tortilla cups:
Preheat the vegetable oil to 350° F in a fryer or in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Using a small knife, cut triangles toward the center of each tortilla, leaving eight (8) 1-inch long points.
Place tortillas In 350° F oil, and using a 2 ounce ladle, press down on the center of the tortilla. Fry for 2 minutes, allowing the tortilla to form a cup, then remove and place on a paper towel to drain.
Service
Place a very small amount of cooked rice in the center of the plate to hold the tortilla cup in place. Once the tortilla cup is on the plate, add a equal amount of the salmon mixture to each tortilla cup.
[Chef’s Note: Use a slotted spoon to remove excess liquid from the mixture so the tortilla remains crisp.]
To garnish, slice three thin rounds of cucumber, then slice them in half, leaving three half-rounds. Fan them out evenly and place them on top of the salmon mixture in the tortilla cup, then finish with a dollop of salmon caviar and finely sliced scallions around the tortilla cup.
Copyright © 2007 Bun Lai. Photograph by Edgar Cardenas. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Miya
68 Howe Street
New Haven, CT
(203) 777 9760
www.myspace.com/miyassushi