Sashimi of Sea Bass w/ Blood Orange & Ginger Vinaigrette
Today a quick post on how to wow your guests in 5 minutes or less. This is not the kind of dish you can pull from your sleeve at a moment’s notice but with a little planning, pristine fish and inspiration – the results are 3 michelin stars worth. The secret of this great appetizer lies in the delicate balance between the melodic Banyul vinegar, the funk of grated ginger, the rhapsodic blood orange and the deep undertone of soy sauce as hypnotic bassline. Add a few textural nuances here and there and you’ve got music for your tastebuds. That’s a Z-minor for the ones of you in the know.
Banyuls vinegar has a haunting walnut flavor with hints of gingerbread and vanilla and develops a deep woody aroma after being aged in oak barrels for five years. It comes from the Pyrenees, close to Spain, close to home [insert nostalgic moans here]. I recommend it strongly for this dish, otherwise sherry vinegar will do. Just don’t use crap or i will snap!
(Serves 4)
-
8 ounces fresh black sea bass filet, thinly sliced
-
1 blood orange
Ginger vinaigrette:
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Banyuls vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger, using a microplane grater
- 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- salt & black pepper
-
scallions, thinly sliced
-
chives, finely chopped
-
baby mache
-
poppyseeds
Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and mix well. Arrange the fish on 4 small plates. Add the blood orange. Drizzle the vinaigrette evenly over the fish. Garnish and serve. Enjoy!
Tags: Seafood
January 30th, 2009 at 3:41 am
I love the colors and I can only imagine how good this really tastes.
January 30th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Lovely, lovely, lovely. It’s beautifully presented! When are you going to be on Top Chef?
I like the sound of this vinegar.
January 30th, 2009 at 8:35 am
wow! beautiful! looks delish!
January 30th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Beautiful colors and flavors in this one! The Banyuls vinegar sounds wonderful, too.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:09 am
St. Zen, you really hit the thesaurus on this post, eh? lol
The sound of this vinegar sounds wonderful and I’m in the mood for more seafood after this.
I’ve got the perfect Greek wine for this too!
January 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Non, ne prends pas le vin grec de Peter! Donne moi cinq minutes et je te trouve quelque chose de plus agréable
January 30th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Gorgeous! Plus I can imagine quite yummy!
January 30th, 2009 at 10:40 am
You are the best! (insert ass kissing sound here)
January 30th, 2009 at 11:40 am
This is definitely worth 3 michelin stars or 5 mobil stars. Delicious – I imagine the flavors are just insanely wonderful.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I was excited because I finally got my hands on blood oranges. Now I just need everything else, lol! That looks amazing though…the color, the plating…and the flavor sounds fantastic
January 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Nicely done! I’m so curious about the vinegar now. Where can we get it in NYC?
January 30th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
What did I just read? Was that what is known as…food porn?
Like Emily said, when are you up for Top Chef? Get in there and win that thing!
I know someone who has that vinegar and I’m going to steal it.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Wow wow! This looks and sounds amazing! The Banyuls vinegar sounds like it has an amazing blend of flavours.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Yes, yes! You are following in the footsteps of Rachael Ray. Kidding! Don’t strike me!
You might have to strike for my use of cheap vinegars, though…
January 30th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
This is even better than a bacon pizza!
I will be searching for that special vinegar.
January 30th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Beeautiful!
January 30th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
What an exquisite presentation. I’ve bookmarked this to make sometime. I’ve never seen blood orange in these parts :S
January 30th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I’ve always wanted to make sashimi at home..
But one problem here…my knife skills….I might just slaughter the fish into chuncky pieces..
January 31st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
THAT’S what I’m talking about. I have everything but the bass… maybe Monday… Damn you, you’ve ruined my weekend.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
love your intro for this dish. not sure if you intended it to be funny, but i definitely laughed a little water out my nose when I read “z-minor”. frig!
looks tasty- any other fish lend themselves well to this??
January 31st, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I have to try that vinegar.Looks wonderful.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:17 am
You’re the Man! No matter if of the 5min variety or not…just kidding. I’m most definately going to do this. Awesome.
February 1st, 2009 at 3:00 am
omg this is what i call simply orgasmic!! !!!11oneoneone
February 1st, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Zen its time to start a music blog
Love the color coordination here. super!
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 pm
This sounds amazing. Blood oranges are in season, and I am happy to see them in use. The combination of blood oranges and fresh sashimi sounds great. I want that vinegar, I love the idea of it being kinda walnut-y in flavor.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Sophisticated, visually beautiful, and melt in your mouth …. what more one can ask for?
Cheers,
Elra
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Should I also write a five minute comment, or can I just say it sounds (and looks) amazing!!!
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
“don’t use crap or i’ll snap” – classic.
we’ve been to banyuls and i wish we brought some of the vinegar (and the wine) back. it’s a beautiful area of the world.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 am
You have delicate, melodic, funk, rhapsodic, blood, deep and hypnotic all in one sentence.
it all becomes clear.
I don’t want to know how much that vinegar costs
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 am
ssssssssashimmmiii???? this word would’ve scared me a month ago. but now…hahhh!!! i’ll down this in no time. off the floor (thanks for dropping all the plates for me. you know me. i like em dirrrty hehe)
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
This is so pretty, almost couldn’t eat it. Almost.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I can just only imagine how fantastic that would taste. Great colours, gr8 flavours, very appealing to eye … I’d say not 3 but 5 star !!
February 4th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Very pretty and colorful`
February 5th, 2009 at 3:50 am
That vinegar is making me curious.
I am starting to think, are sashimi and ceviche in fact, siblings thrown into the opposite sides of the world?
February 11th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
and perfect for the diet conscious crowd…
love it
love you