How to: Japanese Salmon Hot Pot

This new Recipe Series is brought to you by community news service COLlive.com and Kettle & Cord, the home essentials store in Crown Heights.

Today’s presenter is Itta Werdiger Roth, a boutique chef and former owner of Mason & Mug, known for her simplistic yet innovative approach to Kosher cuisine.

Keeping with the ancient American Jewish tradition of eating Asian food during the holidays, today Itta Werdiger Roth presents her recipe for a traditional Japanese food: Salmon Hot Pot.

Here Itta describes what this recipe is all about:

“A traditionally home-cooked Japanese one pot meal. Think of it as Japanese comfort food: Very simple yet tasty, full of that “umami” flavour. And of couse, by default, it is incredibly nutritious as well.”

Salmon Hot Pot

You will need:

1-2 pcs kombu (seaweed)

1 2” pcs ginger

¼ cup mirin

1 Spanish onion (halved & sliced thin)

a generous pinch of salt

1 small bunch Japanese turnips (sub with kohlrabi or leafy vegetable like kale or collard greens, plus turnip, daikon radish or more potato)

½ head small green cabbage or nappa (sliced)

2 lb salmon (sliced lengthwise & into ½” pieces)

2 tsp sesame seed (sliced with the nori)

¼ head nappa or green cabbage

2 Yukon potatoes (peeled & cubed)

8 shiitake mushrooms (stems removed and set aside)

¾ shiro miso*

4 scallions (sliced on the bias into 2” pieces)

1 red or green chili (thinly sliced)

1 tbsp salmon roe

1 pcs nori (thinly sliced pulverized with 1 tsp sesame seed)

zest of an orange and lemon

Directions:

• Combine kombu, ginger & stems from shiitake mushrooms in a medium pot. Fill pot with 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins. Layer onions, cabbage, potato and turnip bulbs in heavy bottomed wide pot. Strain stock over the veggies. Discard the stems and ginger.

• Roll kombu and slice thinly, then add it back into pot together with mirin. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer for 3 mins. Place shiitake & enoki mushrooms in separate bunches. Cover and simmer for 5 mins. Whisk in the miso with ladle of broth; pour over veggies. Add salmon, turnip greens, & scallions and simmer for another few minutes, turning the fish once to ensure even cooking.

• Spoon the salmon roe into the center of the dish. Add the chili pepper, citrus zest and sprinkles of the nori/sesame mixture.