Hi, I’m Francis,
the host of this show "Cooking with Dog."
First, let’s prepare the rice.
Put the rice into a pot.
Pour the water into it.
Then, add the kombu seaweed.
Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, let’s season the tai, sea bream.
Sprinkle the salt on both sides of the fillet.
Lightly rub in the salt.
Then, pour the sake over it.
Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Now, coat the grilling basket with vinegar.
This will help to prevent the fillet from sticking.
Turn on the burner.
Remove the excess water from the fillet using a paper towel.
When the basket is hot enough,
place the tai in the basket with the skin side facing down.
When the skin side is browned, flip it over.
Lightly brown the other side.
Turn off the burner,
remove
and place the tai onto a plate.
Now, let’s cook the rice.
Add the salt,
sake
and soy sauce,
and lightly stir.
Then, place the grilled tai into the pot
and add the shredded ginger root.
Cover
and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
Leave the lid slightly off so that you can see inside.
When it begins to boil, cover completely.
Reduce the heat to low
and simmer for 12 minutes.
Now, turn off the burner.
Let it sit for 10 minutes, allowing the rice to cook completely.
Now, the rice is ready.
Ta-dah! (ジャーン！) Looks super delicious!
Remove the tai fillet
and the kombu seaweed.
Then, remove the fishbones thoroughly.
Cut the skin into bite-size pieces
and then roughly crumble the fillet.
As for the kombu seaweed, cut it into thin strips.
Now, place the tai
and the shredded kombu into the pot again.
Lightly toss with a rice paddle to mix the tai and rice.
Then, place the tai-meshi into a bowl.
Sprinkle on the toasted white sesame seeds.
Finally, smack the kinome leaves in your palms to increase its aroma.
Cooking the tai with the bones will help make good dashi stock,
making the tai-meshi exceptionally delicious.
But be careful not to leave any small bones in the fillet.
You can also use boneless tai fillet to save time.
If tai is not available in your area, you can substitute red snapper.
Good luck in the kitchen.