Autumn sea bream head, simmered

Nimono refers to dishes simmered in a seasoned liquid; here we take up ara-ni, which uses the odds and ends of meat left on the head, bones, and gills after a fish has been filleted.

First, it's important to salt the trimmings all over, or blanch them briefly (shimofuri), to remove the fish's raw odor. Skimming off the scum frequently also removes off-flavors from the dish. Then, when simmering, use a drop lid (otoshibuta) - but make sure the drop lid is sized to fit the pot. This lets the simmering liquid circulate so the flavor reaches the whole dish evenly. Be careful not to let it boil too hard at this stage. Also, depending on the type of simmered dish, you may need to add seasonings one at a time in order - starting with sugar, which penetrates least easily - or you may combine the seasonings beforehand and add them together as a single mixed seasoning, so pay attention to which approach applies.

Since this dish is simmered all the way down to the end, you should not use a combined seasoning mixture - the seasonings need to be added one at a time, in order. First let the sweetness penetrate all the way to the center, then coat the surface with regular soy sauce and tamari soy sauce; this finishes the dish with a clean, glossy sheen. Parboil the vegetables in advance, and finish by simmering them lightly for 2 to 3 minutes in the same pot as the kabuto-ni (the simmered fish head), at the very end.

① Split the head of the momiji-dai (autumn sea bream, so named for its reddened scales in fall) lengthwise (nashi-wari, "pear-split"), blanch briefly (shimofuri), then transfer to cold water and remove the scales and bloodline.

② Begin simmering in a mixture of 7 parts water to 3 parts sake with thin slices of ginger added, skimming the scum. Let the sugar soak in, then the mirin, then the regular soy sauce, in that order; add tamari soy sauce for good color, and simmer while basting with the simmering liquid to finish with a rich color and sheen.

③ Parboil the daikon and Kyoto carrot (kintoki ninjin), then pre-simmer them in a lightly seasoned combined dashi. Leave the matsutake mushroom raw. Drain the tofu lightly.

④ Just before the kabuto-ni is fully done, simmer the vegetables together in the same pot to let them absorb the flavor.