Scott Szekretar, director of culinary development for this two-unit concept, which also has a location in St. Helena, Calif., uses ingredients from many cuisines in this $15 appetizer.
Japanese and Mexican ingredients are used in the “aguachile” sauce, which is a purée of limejuice, mirin, miso, chipotle en adobo and celery.
He simmers morenita chile, which is a smoked blond-colored jalapeño that tastes a little lighter than regular chipotle (which is a smoked red jalapeño) in grapeseed oil. He strains that and reserves the oil.
To make ginger “chicharrónes,” he simmers sliced ginger in sugar water twice and then deep-fries it until it’s crispy. Simmering the ginger in sugar water both removes some of the spice and makes it crispier, Szekretar said.
He plates the sliced cobia with the aguachile sauce, adds a couple drops of the morenita oil for visual contrast and richer mouthfeel, and garnishes the dish with the ginger. He tops it all off with micro-cilantro and urfa, a dark brown, mild Turkish chile.
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