Pressed Sea Urchin Sandwiches With Soy Ginger Butter Recipes

PRESSED SEA URCHIN SANDWICHES WITH SOY-GINGER BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add ginger and shallot and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes; do not brown. Let cool. Place remaining butter in a small bowl. Add ginger-shallot mixture and soy sauce and mix until very smooth.
• Cut bread into 4 pieces, then slice each piece in half horizontally. Thickly spread top and bottom surfaces of each sandwich with about 1 tablespoon soy-ginger butter. Divide uni among 4 sandwich bottoms; with a butter knife gently spread it over bread.
• Heat a griddle, sandwich press or heavy skillet until medium-hot. Close sandwiches and lightly brush top and bottom crusts with olive oil. Cook sandwich 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. If using a griddle or sauté pan, press or weigh sandwich down as it cooks. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

OYSTER PAN ROAST WITH SEA URCHIN BUTTER

Steps:

• Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, pass sea urchin through sieve. Season with salt and one-quarter of the lemon juice, then purée in a food processor. Add butter gradually until compound is creamy and still tastes strongly of uni. (You may find that you do not need full amount of butter.) Check seasoning, adding salt and lemon juice to taste, then transfer to small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Place a heavy pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When it shimmers, add shallots and cook gently until soft. Add garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until garlic is soft as well. Add vermouth and reduce until slightly dry. Add fish stock and reduce by a third.
• Add cream and reduce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir frequently so that onions do not stick to bottom of pot. Add oysters and their liquor and cook until meat slightly curls at edges, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Place in warmed bowls.
• Spread a layer of sea-urchin butter across pieces of toast and serve alongside pan roast.

GLAZED SEA BASS WITH GINGER BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Combine wine, shallots and ginger in heavy small saucepan over high heat. Boil until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• For fish:
• Mix soy sauce, honey and rice vinegar in another heavy small saucepan. Mix water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Add to soy sauce mixture. Stir mixture over medium heat until glaze boils and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool glaze to room temperature. (Sauce and glaze can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange fish on small baking sheet. Brush with some of glaze. Bake until opaque in center, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Bring remaining glaze to boil. Spoon glaze over fish.
• Meanwhile, bring sauce to simmer. Remove from heat. Gradually add butter to sauce, whisking just until melted. Strain. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon sauce onto 4 plates, dividing equally. Top with fish and serve.

SEA URCHIN MOUSSE WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make mousse:
• Sprinkle gelatin over broth in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften, then cook over moderate heat, stirring, until dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Force uni through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping bottom of sieve occasionally.
• Whisk in yolk, salt, lemon juice, and cayenne, then add broth mixture, whisking. Return to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 170°F on thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not let simmer or egg will curdle.) Transfer mixture to a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture is cold and the consistency of raw egg whites, about 10 minutes.
• Beat cream with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks, then fold cream into uni mixture gently but thoroughly. Chill, covered, until set, about 1 hour.
• Make vinaigrette while mousse chills:
• Press hard on ginger in a small fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl to extract 1 teaspoon juice (discard solids), then whisk in lemon juice and salt. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• To serve:
• Spoon 1/4 cup mousse onto each of 6 plates, then drizzle with some vinaigrette.