I love shiso, also known as perilla leaves, and am always thinking about how to use it in recipes. In fact, in my last blog posting on yakumi: Essential Japanese Herbs, Spices, and Condiments, I wrote about shiso (perilla leaves).
This is a simple yet absolutely delicious fish dish that not only uses shiso, but other Japanese standards such as soy sauce and rice vinegar are also used in the sauce. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It also makes for a great keto Japanese dish, for those of you eating low carb!
Fried Sardines Stuffed with Shiso Recipe
Fried Sardines Stuffed with Shiso in Soy-Vinegar Sauce
½ cup (or as needed) stemmed shiso (perilla) leaves, shredded
cornstarch as needed
Vegetable oil as needed for deep-frying
6tbsplow-sodium soy sauce
6 tbspunseasoned rice vinegar
Garnish:
4large shiso leaves
Instructions
Place boned sardine fillets on a flat plate and sprinkle the meat side with salt. Leave for 30 minutes to soften any remaining bones. Rinse in cold water and pat dry. Carefully pick out any bones.
Place the shredded shiso leaves evenly in each fillet and roll up lengthwise. Secure carefully with toothpicks. Dredge well in the cornstarch and pat off the excess.
Combine the soy sauce and vinegar in a flat container. Fry the rolled fillets, four at a time, in the hot oil until they begin to float and turn brown all over. Immediately roll the fried, undrained sardines in the soy-vinegar sauce to coat. Carefully remove the toothpicks. Serve piping hot, on individual plates each garnished with a shiso leaf.
Like most cuisines, Japanese cooking employs a variety of fragrant herbs, spices, and condiments called yakumi to help create those delectable Japanese flavors and tastes. As the world becomes smaller, many of these can now be found overseas and are being used innovatively in many other cuisines. Here are some of the more important seasonings in the Japanese flavor palette.
Note: Herbs and spices like ginger and wasabi must be peeled and grated to release the full impact of their flavor.
Elements of the Japanese Palate
Sansho (aromatic Japanese pepper) also known as prickly ash, is an invigorating spice. The young leaves, called kinome, are used as a garnish in rice and simmered dishes to herald spring.(ground sansho) can be used as a seasoning and spice, and is always served with grilled eel. Sansho powder goes well with simmered meat (dipped in Ponzu sauce) or even sautéed meat, too. Try sprinkling it on your grilled steak for a change. Tip: I store my Sansho in a closed ziplock bag and store in the freezer to preserve freshness.
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Shiso (perilla), a member of the mint family, is originally from China, Burma, and the Himalayas. There are green and red varieties, and both can be eaten raw or cooked. The buds (ho-jiso), which are grown in darkness, are used in the dipping sauce for sashimi. Aka-jiso, the red variety, is used to make pickled plums (umeboshi). The green variety, ao-jiso, is used as a garnish, in sushi rolls, and in tenpura. It is also great in salad dressings, and I often use it as a substitute for basil in pasta dishes.
Shoga (ginger) was initially used in the dipping sauce for sashimi before the advent of wasabi. One of the most commonly used spices in Japan, it can be eaten raw or cooked, but don’t forget to peel it. Its sharp, pungent taste is the perfect foil to oily dishes, and it is used in finely grated form in tenpura dipping sauce. Vinegared sliced ginger, called gari, accompanies sushi and helps to refresh the palate.
Togarashi is the Japanese word for red chiles and refers to a number of condiments. I like to have two dried spice combinations on hand, both of which are traditionally used as flavoring agents in soba noodle dishes: ichimi togarashi (ground, dried red pepper) and shichimi togarashi (a fragrant blend of seven different spices). Tip: I keep my togarashi condiments in a closed ziplock bag and store in the freezer to preserve freshness.
One of the most famous spices is the pungent and bitingly fiery native Japanese horseradish, Wasabi. Grated fresh wasabi, which has quite a kick to it, is served with sashimi and sushi and used to flavor cold soba noodle dipping sauces. Try mixing some prepared wasabi into mayonnaise and using it as a sandwich spread or in salad dressings. Wasabi zuke (pickles) are a special product of Shizuoka.
There are a number of other herbs and spices that are not so easy to find but are worth seeking out.
Karashi (Japanese mustard) is bitter and hot and should be eaten sparingly; it accompanies oden (hodgepodge stew) and is often mixed with soy sauce to make a tangy sauce for boiled greens.
Mitsuba (trefoil), a member of the parsley family with a very assertive taste that can be used in several ways, both raw or cooked. Chopped up (including part of the upper stem) into soups or salads, as a garnish for chawanmushi, or even as oshitashi (boiled greens topped with dried bonito shavings).
Myoga: an edible bud that has a refreshingly crunchy texture. Great chopped up into salads or as a garnish in hiya somen. Always eaten raw.
Negi (Spring onion): Used in a variety of ways. Raw, it’s found chopped up used as a garnish on top of noodles and in dipping sauces. It is one of the most important ingredients in nabe (stews). Also chopped up in aji no tataki (raw horse mackerel), along with grated ginger. I use Konegi (thin Negi) orAsatsuki for Tataki if I can find it. I use all varieties of negi for miso soup. I love grilled negi, eaten with red miso.
Seri (Japanese parsley): used in clear soups as a flavoring, or as oshitashi.
Yuzu: Japanese citron, has a delicious citrus bouquet. I always use yuzu juice to make homemade Ponzu sauce if I can find it fresh here in the Bay area. Ponzu is great for a nabe dipping sauce, Katsuo no Tataki, and also with boiled sliced pork (preferably with sansho or ichimi or shichimi togarashi mixed in it). Can also be grated and added to miso to make sauces, or used in baking, such as my yuzu-meyer-lemon-poundcake. Tip: Dry fresh yuzu halves and grate to add to your shichimi togarashi in the autumn or winter for a delicious taste.
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With a light, crispy, oil-free coating enveloping a perfectly cooked and succulent piece of seafood or vegetable, tenpura (also written tempura) is considered a quintessentially Japanese food. Both the word and the dish, however, are almost certainly of foreign origin. The source: Spanish and Portuguese missionaries called nanbanjin (southern barbarians) who came to Japan to convert the heathen masses toward the close of the sixteenth century. Prohibited from consuming meat on Fridays, they substituted batter-fried fish.
There are several theories on where the name came from. Templo, meaning temple or church in Spanish, and tempero, which in Portuguese means cooking, are two possible roots. The Chinese characters can also be read as follows: ten meaning up, pu for flour, and ra for thin silk, the latter most likely a reference to the thin coating of batter.
By the middle of the Edo era (1603-1867), tenpura, inexpensive and considered relatively low-class, was a popular offering at open-air food stalls. Only in recent years has the dish risen in both price and public esteem to its exalted culinary status in high-class establishments. With a little preparation and practice, it is surprisingly easy to make equally good tenpura at home. Keep the oil at a constant temperature; use ice-cold water to make the batter; and, perhaps most important of all, leave the batter lumpy.
8medium or 4 large shrimpwashed, shelled, and deveined, with tails slightly trimmed
4small kisuJapanese whiting fillets (or other small white-fleshed fish), washed and with tails left intact
4fresh shiitake mushroomstrimmed
4thick rounds of sweet potatopeeled
4shisoperilla leaves, washed and patted dry
2Japanese eggplantstrimmed and halved lengthwise, with skin lightly scored for quicker frying
4string beanstrimmed and halved lengthwise
Sesame oil and vegetable oil for deep-fryinghalf and half is best
Dipping Sauce:
1cupdashi fish stock
¼cuplow-sodium soy sauce
¼cupmirinsweet sake
¼cupsake
Dash of salt
1cupdaikon radishpeeled, grated, and drained
4teaspoonsfresh gingerpeeled & grated
Lemon wedges & coarse saltoptional
Batter: Double quantity if necessary
1large egg
1cupice water
1cupall-purpose white floursifted
Instructions
Prepare the shrimp and other items as instructed above, then place them on a large plate. Bring the dipping sauce ingredients to a boil in a pan, stirring well; remove from heat and pour into four small serving bowls. Let cool. Put the daikon radish, ginger, and lemon (if used) in separate bowls. Prepare a rack for draining the tenpura, and line your serving plates with paper napkins.
While you are heating the oil in a wok or other large large, deep-sided pot, lightly mix the egg and ice water in a bowl. Add the flour all at once, stirring only briefly with chopsticks or a fork to create a lumpy, nonsticky batter. Place the bowl of batter in a large bowl filled with ice water near the stove. When a dab of batter is dropped into the oil and rises to the surface and sizzles, the oil is ready.
Fry the fish first. Dip them briefly in the batter and then drop into the oil, use cooking chopsticks to turn them rapidly.
(To preserve their delicate flavor, the perilla leaves should be dipped on their "back" side only.) Then proceed with the other items. If space permits, fry all similar items together. The tenpura is ready when it turns golden brown and floats. I like to drain tenpura using a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet for easy clean up.
Remove any excess fried batter with a slotted spoon.
Tenpura should be served immediately and eaten piping hot. It could also be made at the dining room table by the guests, using fondue pots. Dip into the sauce, add grated radish and ginger as desired, or sprinkle with lemon and dip lightly in salt.
With a light, crispy, oil-free coating enveloping a perfectly cooked and succulent piece of seafood or vegetable, tenpura (also written tempura) is considered a quintessentially Japanese food. Both the word and the dish, however, are almost certainly of foreign origin. The source: Spanish and Portuguese missionaries called nanbanjin (southern barbarians) who came to Japan to convert the heathen masses toward the close of the sixteenth century. Prohibited from consuming meat on Fridays, they substituted batter-fried fish.
