But none of them really sparked my interest and I decided to go the safe way: lots of garlic, a little olive oil, lemon, white wine and dill. It worked like a charm. The trick here is to first sear the fish and then steam it with white wine. I served it with plain jasmine rice (cooked in water only...no butter, no broth) to bring out the flavor of the fish. It's a fishy fish! So you need to like fish to try this kind.
Here is my simple recipe:
Have the fish gutted and cut into 1cm slices. Clean the marrow and make sure all the blood has been drained. Keep at room temperature.
Chop two cloves of garlic and half moon 1 small onion
Heat a small pan, add two table spoons of oil and saute the garlic and onions
Increase the heat, move the onions and garlic to one side and place two slices of bonito on the empty side (making sure that the fish is directly touching the pan). After about 20 seconds, flip the fish to sear the other side.
Add juice from half a lemon, 1 cup of dry white wine, 3 scallions chopped into 2cm pieces, 1 bay leaf, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, and season to your taste with salt and pepper. Distribute the garlic and onions evenly around the pan to surround the fish slices. Bring to boil.
Once you reach the boiling point, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid or another pan, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Place over jasmine rice, garnish with fresh dill and red pepper flakes and serve with your favorite dry white wine.
