Dakota Weiss was born in Los Angeles but spent her high school years in Santa Fe and went on to study international business at New Mexico State University, so she understands the nuances of green chile. She has cooked throughout the country and in China, which gives her a special appreciation for Asian ingredients, as demonstrated in this delicious appetizer featuring aburi, a flame-torched sushi.
HATCH GREEN CHILE PONZU
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup mirin
½ cup sugar
½ cup yuzu juice, or Meyer lemon juice
½ cup autumn roast Hatch chiles, peeled, seeded, and chopped
SUNCHOKE SALAD
½ cup black rice, raw
8 ounces sunchokes, scrubbed
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Rice vinegar, to taste
SALMON ABURI
1 pound Skuna Bay salmon, or your favorite variety, preferably wild
4 teaspoons mayonnaise, divided
Salt
Pepper
GARNISHES
Fresh herbs and edible flowers
Serrano chile, very thinly sliced
Lime zest
Fresh, grated ginger
Lemon extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Serves 4
INSTRUCTIONS
Hatch Green Chile Ponzu
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, and yuzu juice in a medium bowl.
- Add the chiles and use a hand blender or blender to puree. Set aside.
Sunchoke Salad
- Cook the black rice using the directions on the packet. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, toss the sunchokes in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 350° until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
- Finely dice cooled sunchokes and add to prepared rice. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of rice vinegar.
Salmon Aburi
- Season the salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Cut into 12 small fillets.
- Spread the mayonnaise in a thin layer on each filet of salmon.
- Using a crème brûlée torch, lightly char the surface of the fish until a light crust forms. (Passing it under a preheated broiler will work, too.) Set aside.
Assembly
- Form ½ cup rice into a 3-by-1-by-¼-inch rectangle. Make 4 rectangles and place one each on the left side of large dinner plates.
- Puddle 1 tablespoon of the sauce to the right of each rice portion (reserve remaining sauce for another use).
- Lay 3 pieces of the fish in the puddle on each plate and garnish with a scatter of the herbs, flowers, ginger, zest, and drizzle of olive oil. Serve at room temperature.