Yellowtail and Scallop Crudo with Ponzu and Sriracha

 A bit fancy today. 

Yellowtail and scallop crudo with ponzu and sriracha - 

Ingredients?

• 5 to 6 slices sashimi-grade yellowtail
• 5 to 6 slices sashimi-grade scallops
• 5 to 6 cilantro leaves
• Tiny chunk cucumber
• Some black pepper 

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ponzu
• 1/8 teaspoon sriracha
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Tiny pinch salt
• Few grinds black pepper

How?

Slice the yellowtail and scallops to usual sashimi-size pieces. Arrange these two interchangeably on serving plate.

Peel and dice the cucumbers to mini cubes. Pick out the cilantro leaves.

Mix all the ingredients under the "sauce" section. Taste and adjust if needed. 

Once the flavor has been checked, drizzle the sauce over yellowtail and scallops.

Garnish with cucumber cubes and cilantro leaves. Freshly grind some more black pepper all over right before serving. 

As fancy as it looks, the steps required to put all these together are actually quite effortless. You can even prep the ingredients and store in the fridge for couple hours. Simply assemble all the elements together right before the party starts. 

Ponzu Chicken 橙醋雞肉

There are two types of Japanese sauces that I kept in the fridge once a while - goma (sesame) and ponzu ポン酢 (citrusy soy sauce). If you've been to a Japanese shabu shabu place before, quite often you'll find these two sauces served on the table to eat along with vegetables and meat.

But what else can I use ponzu for besides serving as a dipping sauce? That's how I came up with this recipe. Mixing ponzu together with seared chicken. Sounds like a good match, and for sure the taste is pretty delicious too, especially if you like ponzu sauce to begin with.

Ponzu chicken 橙醋雞肉 - 

Ingredients?

• 480 grams boneless chicken dark meat
• 1/2 onion
• 1 string scallion
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons ponzu sauce
• 2 tablespoons light-tasting oil

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• 2 teaspoons rice cooking wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Use boneless chicken leg, doesn't matter skin or without the skin. Slice the chicken to big bite size pieces. Marinate and gently massage the chicken with all the ingredients listed under the "marinade" section. 

Prep the chicken first then we start working on other ingredients. The chicken needs to be marinated for at least 10 minutes.

Peel and slice the onion. Peel and slice the garlic. Chop the scallion.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of light-tasting oil to the pan and switch to medium heat. Transfer onion slices over and cook till translucent. Add the garlic slices. Cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic.

Transfer chicken over and sear till the edge turns golden or golden brown. If use chicken with skin, sear it with skin side down first.

Once the chicken gets a nice sear, pour in the ponzu sauce and push around the meat till evenly blended. Cook till the sauce has been reduced slightly, about 30 seconds to 1 more minute.

Plate and garnish with chopped scallion on top.

Surprisingly, that little pop of spicy note from the black pepper actually worked so well in this dish. It's like a sudden refreshing touch from the citrusy soy sauce seasoning. That said, use fresh coarsely grind black pepper whenever possible, it really makes a big difference compared to the pre-grind version.   

Other chicken recipes:

• Spicy gochujang chicken rice bowls
• Pan-fried chicken with shio kombu 香煎塩昆布雞腿肉