Lightly cured hamachi with serrano pesto and gingered heirloom tomatoes recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 lemongrass stalk, crushed lightly
• 1 medium shallot, sliced thin
• 2 cups (1 pint) water
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ¾ pound super-fresh sashimi or sushi-grade hamachi (yellowtail) fillet, trimmed of any bloody spots, in one more-or-less rectangular piece
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 small shallot, minced
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon roasted garlic puree
• lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped cashews
• ¼ cup (2 ounces) extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• ½ pint petite heirloom tomatoes, such as grape tomatoes, in varying colors
• Olive oil for pan-frying
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon aji panca paste, or ½ teaspoon chipotle chile puree
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper
• Pinch ground coriander
• 1 cup (8 ounces) cold water
• ½ cup (4 ounces) sake, chilled
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) yuzu juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy lecithin powder

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper
• Black sesame seeds or black sesame crackers
• Daikon radish leaves, shiso leaves, radish sprouts, fennel blossoms, or small salad greens

To Prepare the Cure for the Hamachi
1. Combine all the ingredients except the fish in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring a time or two, until the sugars dissolve.
2. Cool the mixture in an ice bath, then pour the cure over the hamachi in a zipper-lock plastic bag or covered shallow dish that can hold the fish flat but snugly.
3. Refrigerate and cure the hamachi for 2–3 hours.
To Prepare the Pesto
4. While the hamachi cures, prepare the pesto. Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl. It will be a bit chunky. Refrigerate covered until needed.
To Prepare the Tomatoes
5. With a thin paring knife, cut a tiny x in the bottom end of each tomato.
6. Warm 1 inch of olive oil in a medium saucepan. When the oil shimmers, add about half the tomatoes and flash fry, for no more than 10 seconds.
7. Scoop them out with a spider or slotted spoon and set them aside on paper towels to cool. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.
8. Pull off and discard the tomato skins.
9. Combine the peeled tomatoes in a small bowl with the extra-virgin olive oil, aji panca sauce, chives, ginger, salt and pepper, and coriander. Let the mixture sit at room temperature.
To Make the Yuzu Bubbles
10. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until frothy like a bubble bath.
Putting it all together
11. Discard the cure liquid, rinse the fish in cold water, and pat it dry with paper towels.
12. Cut the hamachi across the grain on the diagonal very thinly (under ⅛ of an inch thick). This slicing will give the fish the most tender texture and lots of surface area. Aim for 24 slices about 2 x 3 inches.
13. Make three mounds of hamachi on each of 4 plates, twisting 2 slices together for each upward mound. Spoon tomatoes between the hamachi and drizzle the pesto over both the fish and tomatoes. Spread a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil over the fish and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Spoon mounds of yuzu bubbles around the fish. Scatter sesame seeds lightly over the fish or tuck cracker pieces standing between the hamachi and tomatoes. Garnish with leaves and serve right away.