Hamachi Crudo

Lately, I've been craving sushi and raw fish more than ever before, which is wild for me because I didn't start eating fish until college, and even then my consumption was pretty minimal. I didn't even start to eat shellfish until like, two years ago. When I lived with a family in Japan when I was 14, I lied and told them I was allergic to anything that came out of the ocean which was a full blown lie, but I was sick of saying I didn't eat seafood and hearing, "But you eat shrimp though, right? You must love lobster, right?" Like, no. I said I don't eat seafood... which includes those creatures. Anyways, I'm starting to find a love for those creatures so here we are.

I had some friends coming over for dinner, so I asked a friend what he wanted to eat and the answer was seafood, Mexican, or a burger. I reached for my Tacolicious cookbook and knew that this would take care of 2/3s of that request. I found the halibut crudo recipe and the tacos al pastor recipe and landed on my plan. That was... what I thought, at least.

If you've ever tried to make a ceviche or crudo (raw with citrus seasonings) anything of some sort, then you know the struggle to find sushi grade fish. I learned that there IS a big difference between filets you can find at a butcher and sushi grade fish, so heed my warnings if you want to keep your stomach for the evening. I called three different places and went to two different stores, to no avail. I already had all of the other ingredients and decided that I would find a way no matter what!

My last attempt at finding the sushi grade fish was going to be an authentic Asian market called Sunset Super, which typically has all types of weird shit. On my way there, I spotted a place called Yum Yum Sushi out of the corner of my eye, and their sign said "sushi to go and fish market", so I swerved to the left and parked my car. To my surprise, they actually DID sell plain sushi grade fish, although I had to show some pictures and explain several times what I was trying to accomplish. The women behind the counter pulled out a laminated sheet that had a bunch of Japanese writing and photos on it, along with numbers to the right of the photos. To my surprise, they told me it would be $55/lb of the hamachi I had my eye on. I was cooking for 8 people, so I was down for the price because at a restaurant, hamachi crudo typically goes for $15-$18 for 4-6 pieces. There is NO other way I will ever do hamachi crudo ever again. The best thing about getting the fish from a sushi spot is also that they will slice it for you for free - win. What a journey.

At this moment while looking at the ingredients list, I realized I forgot like, four ingredients for the topping of this recipe... oopsie! The original calls for fresh mint, parsley, basil and radishes which I bought but totally forgot to add. If you want to include those for yourself, chop up 2 tablespoons of each of these and slice 4 radishes thinly for effect.

Ingredients:

1 lb sushi grade skinned hamachi or halibut, or other firm, mild white fish fillet
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 serrano chile, sliced crosswise, paper thin
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Light green inner leaves of 1 head celery
1 orange, peeled, sectioned, and seeded
1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, and seeded

Directions:

1. Cut the fish into pieces about 1/8 inch thick, 1 inch wide, and 2 inches long (or have your sushi chef do this for you).

2. Stir together the oil, lime juice, and vinegar in a bowl. Add the chile and agave nectar, season with kosher salt and pepper, and stir to mix. Add the fish, toss gently to coat evenly, and let sit for about 5 minutes.

3. Using a slotted spoon, lift the fish from the dressing and arrange the pieces one on top of the other, alternating with the fish and grapefruit and orange. Spoon the dressing over the fish and sprinkle with the celery leaves. Garnish with the reserved citrus and olive oil juice and sprinkle with sea salt to serve.