Nori Stacks With Smoked Salmon Food

NORI STACKS WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Place rice and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until water has been absorbed, 14 to 16 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, mirin, sake, and salt in small saucepan. Warm mixture over medium-low heat until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Transfer the cooked rice to a large mixing bowl. Slowly add vinegar mixture to the warm cooked rice, stirring constantly, until vinegar mixture is incorporated into the rice. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally.
• Toast the nori sheets to enhance their flavor: Using tongs, pass each sheet over a gas flame, flipping and turning until it crisps and darkens in color. Both changes will be slight, so watch carefully; this should take only 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If only an electric burner is available, heat to medium, place a sheet of nori directly on the burner, flipping and turning for 30 seconds to 1 minute.)
• Place a sheet of toasted nori, shiny-side down, on a dry, clean work surface. Dampen your fingers with water to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands and spread 1 cup lightly packed rice onto the nori. Make sure to spread the rice evenly and all the way to the edges of the sheet. Wet your fingers again and dab 1/2 teaspoon of the wasabi paste over the layer of rice and spread it thin.
• Place a thin layer of smoked salmon over the rice, trimming the edges to fit the sheet of nori, top with a second sheet of nori, shiny-side down, and gently smooth the top layer with a rolling pin. Pressing down firmly seals the layers and makes them easier to cut. Repeat the process 2 more times, creating a total of 3 layers, ending with a final sheet of nori, shiny-side up this time. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours; overnight is best. Using a sharp, wet knife, trim the edges of the nori stack to measure 6 by 7 inches. Clean the knife and slice the nori stack into 1 by 1 1/2-inch pieces, re-wetting the knife between each slice. Garnish each piece with strips of ginger and a dollop of wasabi caviar. Serve with scallion soy dipping sauce.

SMOKED SALMON AND CURRIED-POTATO NORI ROLLS

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large heavy saucepan cover potatoes with salted water by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Simmer potatoes until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander and cool slightly.While potatoes are cooling, in a small non-stick skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook mustard seeds and curry powder until seeds begin to pop.
• In a bowl combine warm potatoes, mustard-seed mixture, yogurt, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and with a potato masher mash potatoes until almost smooth.
• Peel and seed cucumber and cut into matchstick-thin strips. Cut salmon into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Put a sushi mat on a work surface with bamboo strips of mat parallel to front of work surface. On mat arrange 1 nori piece, shiny side down and with a long side lined up with near edge of mat, and spread 1/3 cup potato mixture evenly in a 2 1/2-inch-wide strip along near edge. Arrange one sixth of salmon and cucumber in a line along center of potato mixture and dampen far edge of nori with a moistened finger. Beginning with long side near you, roll up nori tightly, using mat as an aid to help tighten roll. Seal dampened edge and with a sharp knife cut roll crosswise into 6 pieces. Make 5 more rolls in same manner.

JUNIPER-AND-GIN GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Combine salt, sugar, zest, pepper, juniper, and dill in a bowl. Add gin; stir until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Rinse salmon and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with plastic; scatter one-third of sugar mixture on it. Lay salmon, skin-side down, on sugar mixture; spread remaining mixture evenly over top. Wrap tightly in the plastic; place a second baking sheet on top and weigh down with canned goods. Refrigerate, flipping fish and pouring off excess liquid every 24 hours, for 3 days. Rinse excess sugar mixture off salmon; pat dry.
• Place fish flesh-side down, and slide the tip of a long, sharp knife between flesh and skin at a short end. Using a paper towel to grip, gently pull skin off. Flip fish; thinly slice at a 45-degree angle. Serve with relish, roe, crackers, capers, creme fraiche, fennel, and onion.