When Gary (gstours) was down here in the SF Bay Area visiting Wayne, I gave him a mold of my octopus jig to try out. Gary has been testing out the jig with various rigging and skirts, and posting his results, which has been a great help to me.
Fast forward to a season later, and I get a message from Gary asking If I want some halibut fillets. There is only one answer to that question :)
A few days later, and the gift has arrived. I swing by the cargo office at the local airport and pick up a big box of beautiful high grade halibut fillets. Gary even sorted out the catch so all the fillets came from jig caught fish- what a nice touch. And as a bonus, I now have some bragging rights too 8)
After several stops on the way home to share the wealth with family, we loaded up the freezer and started making halibut dishes.
One of the favorite preparations around here is to steam white flesh fish in a bowl inside the steamer with some herbs, chili, ginger, and fish sauce. A great way to do a whole small rockfish, so why not some halibut?
We wrap the fish in rice papers at the table with veggies and herbs from the garden, some quick pickled carrots, and a fish sauce/lime/chile based dipping sauce. And wash it down with a nice pilsner.
Most Vietnamese restaurants have pre-wrapped rolls ("steam rolls", or "fresh spring rolls") on the menu. But for home style, all the goodies are spread out at the table, and you dip the dried rice paper into a bowl of warm water to hydrate it and roll one up yourself. Just like a burrito.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/33/11927_01_10_20_7_46_34_334581663.jpeg)
All rolled up and ready to eat:
(https://alantani.com/gallery/33/11927_01_10_20_7_46_31_334571156.jpeg)
Thanks again Gary for the very generous gift!!!
-J
Wow! That looks great! - john
look delicious!
that looks like a fancy and expensive dish on a fancy restaurant ;D ;D
looks delicious !
Great J that does look delicious, Gary`s the man, cheers Don.
Gary is one fine stand-up guy. The ohana comes through once again. Dave, How do you pickle carrots? Dominick
Thanks for the idea I used to do veggie rolls that was long ago now that I have a pile of Halibut to eat this will really help.
Quote from: Dominick on October 03, 2020, 12:52:28 AM
Gary is one fine stand-up guy. The ohana comes through once again.
I've tried everything. Pay it back, pay it forward, but I can never keep up with you guys in the generosity and thoughtfulness department.
Quote
How do you pickle carrots?
The classic Vietnamese pickling solution is a blend of rice or white vinegar and water (mebbe 1:1 ratio?) , plus salt and sugar to taste. Loosely pack a jar with julienned carrots and daikon, cover with solution, seal and refrigerate for about 3 days. Good for a couple of weeks. The inter-webs is full of recipes -look for "Do Chua". Some recipes get a bit elaborate. The exact amount of salt and sugar varies pretty widely, there might be regional preference.
I just pour some boiling water over the carrots and/or daikon in a strainer, and then add some rice vinegar, salt and sugar. it is ready by the time it cools. But two hours or so is a bit better. You can use the Japanese seasoned rice vinegar for a good starting point, as it has a nice ratio of salt to sugar already mixed in. If you ask any Vietnamese mother-in-law or grandma, I am doing it all wrong :)
I like the quick version better. It is a bit more crunchy, and doesn't overpower the dish. Daikon doesn't add much taste, but more of a funk that gets a bit funkier as the pickle ages.
That looks great ! I steam fish a lot but never in a bowl. What did you season the fish with ?? I always am looking for new ways to cook up the bounty.
Cheers:
Todd
Dave - That sounds great! I was hoping you would be on the call this morning to probe you for details; but I am definitely going to try some of your "quick pickling" technique this week. And I might have to add a Serrano just to make it interesting. I picked up my wonderful hand hammered steel wok not far from my office from a "restaurant supply" located in Westminster; I suspect they would have many things to add regarding "proper technique". - john
Quote from: Hardy Boy on October 03, 2020, 02:15:40 PM
That looks great ! I steam fish a lot but never in a bowl. What did you season the fish with ?? I always am looking for new ways to cook up the bounty.
Cheers:
Todd
As mentioned, fish sauce, chilies, ginger, scallions, mebbe a shot of lime juice too. But you can do it any way that you like. For Chinese style, you would replace the fish sauce with soy, pour some hot oil on the fish after plating it, and maybe add some sort of salty/slightly sweet soy sauce blend, I don't know anything about Chinese cooking.
You don't want the fish too thick, so that it will steam in about 8-12 minutes. Too much time in the steamer and you end up with more of a soup than a steamed fish.You can split a bigger fish to help it cook faster.
The bowl keeps the fish in its own juices as it steams, so the flavor does not get washed out, plus all the goodness from the skin and bones (for whole fish) gets blended in.
To plate, discard the water that ends up in the bowl if grandma is not watching- otherwise reserve for fish stock.
Quote from: Brewcrafter on October 04, 2020, 04:42:03 AM
Dave - That sounds great! I was hoping you would be on the call this morning to probe you for details; but I am definitely going to try some of your "quick pickling" technique this week. And I might have to add a Serrano just to make it interesting. I picked up my wonderful hand hammered steel wok not far from my office from a "restaurant supply" located in Westminster; I suspect they would have many things to add regarding "proper technique". - john
Not really many details on the pickle. It is so easy, even I rarely screw it up.
Might want to consider keeping the chile as a side for a more typical Vietnamese presentation. No too many dishes are served spicy-hot usually hot chilies are served as a separate side so folks can tune as desired. But if you if like the idea of a spicy pickle- then go for it :)
-J.
Also my long ago Japanese girlfriend would put one fresh grape leaf in the bottom of the pickle jar .
This would help to keep things crisp longer .
I make refrigerator pickled everything , haven't had store bought pickles in years.....
Quote from: theswimmer on October 05, 2020, 03:26:14 AM
Also my long ago Japanese girlfriend would put one fresh grape leaf in the bottom of the pickle jar .
This would help to keep things crisp longer .
I make refrigerator pickled everything , haven't had store bought pickles in years.....
Interesting! I had to look this one up. Apparently the blossom end of cucumbers contain an enzyme that causes the softening. The tannin in the grape leaf neutralizes the enzyme.
An alternative approach is to cut about 1/16 inch off the blossom end and skip the grape leaf.
Thanks Dave for sharing your dish and ideas with us. I,m always looking for tasty ways to eat these fish. Simple is fast, soon boring.
I,m going to try to imitate your recipe. I,m glad you posted this and took the time to take and share pictures too. ;)
Take care everybody.
Dave : I used a modified version with some rockfish. Steamed fish as per usual (not in bowl) with green onion and ginger, served on rice and then pored over a sauce of: chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar and some honey. Very tasty and quick and easy to make. I will try in the rolls when wy wife is up and arounf as I cant roll those thin wraps at all.
Cheers:
Todd