Got Squid?
Thursday, April 1st, 2010My mother-in-law’s close friend recently returned from some kind of epic fishing trip in Monterey Bay, where he and his buddies managed to score a couple pretty darn large squid. It is a short season for the stuff in the winter (read more on squid fishing community forum here), and these often mis-understood and mis-used fish are actually a very sustainable way to enjoy healthy seafood. Squid are lower on the trophic scale, which often means there’s more to go around. But, if we keep feeding them to the bigger farmed fish, the wild populations will suffer. Seafood is complex, and gets even more and more esoteric the more data we get on the state of our seas. But I digress. This generous family friend carefully froze his catch, and one very big bag ended up in my freezer. The only problem with this whole exciting project was that the steaks were frozen in such a way that I couldn’t defrost them in singles (*note for next year’s catch preservation). So the whole big bag of 6 big steaks was on my hands. No secret supper clubs planned, not even a pot luck to speak of, no family gatherings coming up (or any where squid would go on the menu)…hmmmmmm….
Stuck, I decided to do my very own squid cook off. I am still not finished. But I still like squid, so that must mean something’s going right.
The first recipe is my own, albeit Californicated recipe for Okinomiyaki, something I positively O.D.’d on when I lived in Kyoto. Okinomi means “everything you like,” more or less, “whatever you want.” Yaki means cooked, just like in Takoyaki (incredible octopus street food), or sukiyaki. But knowing what the words mean doesn’t mean you’ll understand this dish. More than not it is referred to as Japanese pizza, which I think is beyond ridiculous, but I’ll pick my battles here. Its more like a savoury pancake, but since that sounds pretty gross, I’ll just get to explaining.
My favorite hole-in-the-wall okinomiyaki spot in Kita-Ku, north Kyoto, brought simple menus when my friends and I filled up the booths. We picked from a list of extras, (and I guess this is where the pizza metaphor works since ordering is a lot like picking toppings) then big bowls of batter would arrive at the table, placed right in front of our faces so as not to get burned on the table-come-cooking surface. The ingredients would be mixed by our server and then we’d add our favorites: savory mochi cubes, fabulously processed cheese, such that can’t quite be paralleled outside this country, and squid. There were lots more options, but each meal it seemed these were our Okinomi.
We cooked the pancakes ourselves after our first trip to this restaurant, where we got a lesson. They were delicious. Let’s just say I never again imagined that it was weird to add squid to pancakes.
Elsewhere in Japan I’ve seen fried noodles added (the custom in Hiroshima from my experience), and I’ve seen foreigners not allowed to cook their own pancakes, so I recommend dropping your expectations of how your authentic Japanese Okinomiyaki experience will go. Better yet, try this at home! Even if they don’t look as perfect as in my memories, these were delicious, and a solid first dish for my squiddy project. Here’s the photos:
start with slivering cabbage – doesn’t matter what kind. I use a serrated bread knife, faux pas or not
run the knife through it again to slim down, cabbage is a key ingredient to any okimoniyaki, and the texture you get from it is a crucial building block, so pick the right size and shape for your palate
measure out your favorite pancake mix, although if you have a good eye and live near a big city you can find real live okinomiyaki mix at your Asian grocer
add in shredded carrot for color and more veggies – this was my idea, not something I ever saw in Japan
slice up the squid steak, cleaned, a butcher knife helps but isn’t necessary, I like long thin wedge shapes
half-cook them in hot butter, NOT ALL THE WAY
add an egg or two (approximate based on the pancake mix recipe) and stir your batter
fry up, big cake, small cakes, whatever you want! in Japan they were pretty flat but large
a little lightly dressed, chopped Japanese red mustard greens (from the garden) and a mixture of sriracha, mayo and ketchup spread on top and its eating time!
Tomorrow we’ll have squid steak sandwiches (easy to grill, even stove-top!), and the remained three steaks I cleaned and cubed and set in a bowl of canned plum tomatoes with a plate over top in the fridge for some kind of seafood stew, but that’s for another edition, or at least another meal!
