cavalinhas de nhah nhah

Sagoshi, or young Spanish mackerel, is a fish that is two feet long with a silver skin who seems painted with a brush on the belly because it is so glossy. Because they are eating for the most part small squid and shrimp, the meat is rich in oil and has a strong character. It is not fishy, but it is for sure not an halibut type of fish. Where I grew up in Antibes, you can eat fresh sardine every day of the year. I love to eat them grilled, just few hours after they get out of the water.

I decided to fillet the fish and remove the skin and blood lines from the loin. The meat is very delicate and difficult to work. I like to split the loin lengthwise and work on smaller surface for better control.

Using a kombu cure for sahimi really compliments the meat.Kombu naturally contains glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami,the Japanese word for one of the proposed five basic tastes. To firm the meat I season it with cherry blossom salt (cherry blossom preserved in salt then ground to a powder), splash a bit of rice wine vinegar over it and then wrap them in the kombu.You have to rinse the kombu under running water to wash it and soften it first. Only few hours are necessary to see and feel the meat changing. when you get to the point of curing you are looking for, remove the excess of seasoning. Then serving it sliced or diced with a simple garnish make it very satisfying.