Smoked Sake-Kama (Salmon Collar) Carbonara

For some reason fish collar hasn’t gone mainstream in the United States.  Sure you can find sake-kama (grilled salmon collar) on the appetizer menu at your local Japanese restaurant for about $15, but the secret is that you can get pounds of kama from your local fishmonger for just a few dollars.  Buri kama, or collar, is the fatty part of the fish just back of the gill area and includes the pectoral fins.  It may not look like much but this is where the best fish flavor is concentrated.  Like pork ribs, you may have to work for your food but the fatty flesh right off the bone is second to none!

Cooking options for the kama are limitless.  As a general rule keep it simple.  A bit of oil and sea salt, throw it on the grill and the fatty fish will take care of the rest.  Today we will be smoking our kama to make fettuccine carbonara.

Like I mentioned before collar is extremely cheap.  My local fishmonger sent me home with pounds more collar than I needed for my recipe.  Therefore I prepared the collar two different ways for the smoker.  For each recipe I created a brine for the collar.  Yes the fish came from the sea but a good 45 minute brine will not only add flavor to your fish, the brining process also helps create a barrier to keep the moisture in your meat  and help you not over cook it.

Salt Brine (for the fettuccine)
For my first brine I added 1/3 cup of kosher salt and 1/3 cup of sugar to a one gallon ziplock back.  Mix in water and soak the fish, refrigerated, for 45 minutes to an hour.  After that completely wash your fish with tap water.  Pat dry.  Lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Soy Brine / Marinade (for a tasty snack)
Soy sauce should be the dominant ingredient as we will be using the high concentrations of salt as a quasi-brine.  I also added cooking sake as it is rather salty as well. Combine with some ginger powder and garlic powder.  Put the marinade and collar in a gallon ziplock bag, seal, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.  After about an hour remove from brine, remove excess, but do not rinse off.

Preheat your smoker to 190°F and add the wood of your choice.  For salmon, in my opinion, there is nothing better than alder.  It is the traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific Northwest and has a light, delicate flavor.

Add the salmon to your smoker.  As I wanted a strong smokey flavor I added 1/2 cup of alder chips every 30 minutes or so. Once your collar reaches about 135°F you will want to check your fish.  Although completely cooked I often prefer to let it cook 20-30  minutes longer and let the fat melt.  Depending on the temperature of your smoker the whole process should take 2 to 3 hours.

Take your smoked collar and remove meat from every nook and cranny you can find. Put in a bowl and set aside.

Smoked Sake-Kama (Salmon Collar) Fettuccine Carbonara

2 cups smoked salmon collar (or more)

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 egg yolks

100mg dry white wine

8oz heavy whipping cream

1/2 pound broccoli 

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

salt

ground pepper

olive oil

fettuccine noodles

1/3 cup starchy noodle water

Boil fettuccine noodles until al dente.  (save 1/3 cup of starchy water) 

Steam broccoli until cooked but still firm.  Set aside

Heat nonstick 12 inch pan over medium heat adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Once oil is shimmering add onions and saute until golden brown.

While sauteing the onions, in a small bowl combine the egg yolks, cream and 1 teaspoon of salt and ground pepper.  Set aside.

Once onions are golden brown add wine and cook over medium heat until wine has reduced to 3 tablespoons.

Add starchy noodle water to the onions and wine and cook until it begins to thicken. (2-4 minutes)

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the cooked fettuccine noodles to the pan.  Stir to combine ingredients.

Slowly add the bowl of cream and egg yolks. At this point it is very important to only cook at very low temperatures.  If it gets too hot your creamy egg mixture will solidify and that is unappetizing.

Once your sauce has thickened add parmesan cheese, smoked salmon and broccoli.  

Enjoy!  I think this carbonara pairs perfectly with a pinot noir.  For this meal I used Calera 2008 Pinot Nori and it couldn’t have been more perfect.  $20 bottle of pinot that tasted like a $50 bottle.  Simply excellent.  Itadakimasu and Kampai!

Smoked Pork Butt, Baby Back Ribs and a Big Black Furry Creature from Mars?

Big Black Furry Creature from Mars

Hauntingly Beautiful...
Is it a meteorite or something more sinister?  If you know BBQ this smokey bark is a work of art.  Besides patience and waking up way too early, smoked pork shoulder couldn't be easier.

Big Black Furry Creature From Mars - Pork Butt (Shoulder)

5 pound-ish Pork Shoulder

Meathead's Memphis Dust  (yields about 3 cups, so plenty to save for other rubs)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup spanish paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons rosemary powder (I love rosemary -  original  recipe calls for 2 teaspoons)


Trim most of the fat from the shoulder.  Leave no more than 1/8 an inch of fat. Tie with butcher twine (or else it will fall apart) Thoroughly wash the pork shoulder and pat dry with paper towels.  Cover your butt (cough) with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Completely cover with 1/3 cup of Meathead's Memphis Dust, wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Heat your smoker to 225°F and add your pork butt.  For the first 2 to 3 hours add 1/4 cup of the wood of your choice every 30-45 minutes as needed.  For this cook I used Apple Wood and it turned out wonderful!  Allow 1.5 to 2 hours per pound of meat as you smoke.  The temperature will rise steadily until you reach about 160°F.  Around that temperature welcome to "the stall" or "the zone."  You may stay within 10°F for up to 2 hours.  Don't crank your heat, be patient!  This is the magical stage where fats and muscles are melting into pure goodness.  Once your digital thermometer (positioning the tip right in the center. Not touching the bone or within 1/2 inch) hits 190°F it is time to check your butt.  If there is a bone, wiggle it. If it turns easily and comes out of the meat, the magic has occurred  and you are done. If there is no bone, use the "stick a fork in it method". Insert a fork and try to rotate it 90 degrees. If it turns with only a little resistance, you're done.  All butts are not created equal.  If your shoulder doesn't pass this test, reduce the heat to 190°F and cook up to one more hour.

That's it... patience an excellent rub and consistent temperature.

We shredded our pork, added our homemade BBQ sauce (wasn't that great - won't bore you with recipe)  accompanied by our homemade rolls.

Basic Roll with Basil, Rosemary and Thyme

Oh.....  we also made Scrumdiddlyumptious Baby Back Ribs!

Thoroughly wash the ribs and pat dry with paper towels.  Cover your ribs with vegetable oil.  Add 2 tablespoons per slap of Meathead's Memphis Dust.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat your smoker to 220°F and add your ribs, allow 5 to 6 hours for St. Louis Cut (SLC) ribs and 3 to 4 hours for baby back ribs..  For the first hour add 1cup of the wood of your choice every 30 minutes.  For this cook I used Hikory.  Allow 1.5 to 2 hours per pound of meat as you smoke.

To test your ribs use the the bend test.  Pick up the slab with tongs and bounce it gently. If the surface cracks, it is ready.

At this point purists will say your ribs are done.  Personally at this stage I fire up my grill on high.  Apply a thin layer of my favorite BBQ sauce and put on the grill.  Please pay close attention to the grill because sweet sauce can go from charred to carbonized before you realize it!

Pork Butt, Baby Back Ribs, a simple bun, BBQ sauce and heck throw in some mashed potatoes.  You will be the hero of your Cul-de-sac!  Take a bow.

Katsuo-bushi Dashi （かつお節だし）

Hajimemashite food nerds Foodies!

The "mother broth" of Japanese cuisine is dashi.   It is very basic and fundamental in creating a plethora of soups, noodle broths, dipping sauces, and nimono. (simmered dishes) Although simple to create, if done incorrectly, your dishes will lack that authentic taste before you even begin building upon your dish.

In 1980, Shizuo Tsuji wrote: "Many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la Japonaise and lack the authentic flavor."

When creating a proper dashi it all boils down to using precise ingredients. A few ingredients may need to be found at your nearest Asian market, local supermarket or fishmarket. A dashi broth can be made from many different ingredients. For the purpose of introducing you to homemade dashi, we’ll start with the most common combination, which is that of kombu and katsuobushi.


Katsuo-bushi (Dried Bonito Flakes) - Skip jack tuna, sometimes referred to as bonito, which is dried, fermented and then smoked. The flakes are made by shaving the dried fish on a kezuriki, which is akin to a wooden mandoline. Although now mostly done by machine.

Kombu is a type of kelp cultivated in the seas of Japan and Korea and then dried in the sun. Like a secret bouillon ingredient, it enhances the flavor and nutrients of any dish it’s incorporated into. Kombu is very high in potassium, iodine, calcium, and vitamins A and C.

Don't be afraid by the white stuff on the kombu.  That is the mold umami, and it helps give the dashi a pure umami taste sensation.

Personally we prefer to use Kombu powder as there are many health benefits if ingested. Normally the kombu is discarded after making the broth. (wasting much of the health benefits still within the kelp)  We have only been able to find the powder in Japan.  But if you can locate it use it!   Later we will be teaching you to make your own kombu powder so stay tuned...






Recipe for Katsuo-bushi Dashi （かつお節だし）
Makes 2 cups

2 1/4 cups water
4 grams kombu
8 grams katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

1. With scissors cut some slits in the kombu (to release more umami), put in a pot and soak in water for about 15 minutes. (or soak overnight, refrigerated, in a tupperware container)

Notice bubbles starting to form on the upper left.

2. Place the pot over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the kombu (5-10 min)

do not boil

You will start to notice a very faint yellow/green tint to the water.






3. Remove kombu, turn heat to low and add the katsuobushi flakes.  Let soak 1 minute.

4. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. (or use a coffee filter with larger mesh strainers)  In fancy restaurants they will not press out the remaining broth in the strainer.  In our family we waste nothing and squeeze out as much as we can.

5. Use or refrigerate in a air tight container for 2 to 3 days.

You can make Niban Dashi (Second Sea Stock) with the leftovers you just used.

Recipe for Niban Dashi

2 cups water
Kombu and katsuobushi used in previous recipe

1.  Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat on low for 10 minutes.  Remove from pot and strain.

2.  Use or refrigerate in a air tight container for 2 to 3 days.

Katsuobushi Bins - Tsukiji Fish Market - Tokyo

Useless Bit 'O' Trivia - Katsuo-bushi was the inspiration for the title of John Lennon's album Shaved Fish. Upon the later CD release, the name was changed to it's original name Katsuobushi


Now that we have covered Katsuobushi Dashi we are only one ingredient away from Miso soup.  I bet you can’t guess the missing (soy based) ingredient...