I’m currently playing with fish. Not in a “toy” or BFF sense, but in the kitchen, and specifically with arctic char (omble chevalier, Salvelinus alpinus). It’s part of an ongoing development project, but what I found myself with was a (not so) little pile of trimmings after not paying attention while taking the deba to one.

I hang my head in shame over my botched sanmai oroshi, but I at least knew I had to find some way to recover all the meat I had left behind. This is actually a significant problem since fish that one doesn’t catch oneself requires well, money which is of course not grown on trees (I’m on a “fiscal responsibility” kick because I’m saving up to buy… a pony!). It is magnified in commercial kitchens where cost control one is a credo, so one does everything possible to recoup as much as possible, use as much as possible and do it in a way that just doesn’t look well, gross. As it turns out, the biggest leftovers were the pieces of fish belly. I’ll just say this isn’t just me: if you watch at the fishmonger, when they trim roundfish after filleting, they will often cut away the belly when trimming fillets. I’ll deal with the remaining trim later, as belly is a good starting point.

The belly is generally the fattiest part of a fish (hey! just like cochons and humans) and is generally prized in Asia and specifically so in Japan, but it isn’t particularly sought after in the West. Too bad, because a lot can be made with it: I like using it in clear soups, in chawan mushi, and (in this example) as sashimi.

Arctic char belly just so happens to make a particularly tasty bite when served in this manner.

Ingredients

• Fish belly trim from arctic char
• One green onion
• Ponzu

Preparation

Finely mince the green onion.

Carefully skin the belly, removing the skin while keeping the silver underlayer intact (arctic char skin is very thin and comes off easily because of the underlying fat). Set skin aside for other purposes.

Block (trim down with a knife) the arctic char belly to produce a uniform rectangle. Set trim aside for other purposes. Cut a crosshatch pattern into the silver side of the belly. If the piece is long enough and you have the knife skills, opt for matsukasa-giri rather than a straight crosshatch, and cut into two smaller but equal-sized rectanges after the pinecone pattern is completed.

Service

Arrange the belly pieces onto a plate or small platter, placing the belly in such a way that the cross-hatch opens up slightly to show the cut pattern. Use a brush to paint a small quantity of ponzu onto the fish. Add a small amount of finely minced onion and serve immediately.

Wine

Because of the flavor of the arctic char, I would skip the wine and go with ginjō-shu sake as it’s more floral and very delicate on the palate. For those in la Belle Province held hostage by the SAQ’s monopoly, Takasago Hakusan junmai ginjō-shu is available as a 720 mL bottling.

Notes

This is a “no effort” way to use up what is often discarded when prepping fish, but it is only viable if one has really fresh fish of a type that can be consumed raw. Arctic char and seagoing salmonids fit the bill, and char itself has the advantage of being more delicate (refined?) than say salmon.

When you think about this, sashimi gets pretty pricey pretty fast depending on fish and restaurant, so being able repurpose in the manner of “silk purse from sow’s ear” is always a bonus. Did I mention that this tasty arctic char belly is also chock full of the same omega-3 fatty acids needed to lubricate your brain? You think about that.

The belly can also be prepared as a topping (tane; 種) for sushi, but that would require having some rice (su-meshi, 酢飯) available as a minimum, and additional stuff if one wants to make a form other than nigiri-zushi (chirashi-zushi for instance). Besides, I think it looks better as sashimi.

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