We've had an inkling to somehow incorporate a fish rib dish on our menu. Toying with the idea of mahi and other species gave us great flavored meat, but there was always the underlying question of customer acceptance... you know, with the bones and everything.
Chef K came across pacu one day, and we found a supplier. Pacu is generally served 'on the rib' and looks surprisingly like a sparerib. It's found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers of South America. The meat is fatty and delicious. We've heard previous mixed reactions to the fish's goodness, but wanted to try it firsthand. Besides, it's related to pirahna... so how cool is that?
korean kogi pacu ribs, honshemiji tempura, sesame leaf dolma, Frod's black garlic aioli, korean bacon powder
We found that the fish texture and flavor was greatly improved by giving it a 30 minute brine before grilling. Although we initially entertained the thought of sous-vide cooking, a quick grilling with kogi sauce gave us great results.
The tempura batter was mixed with chopped cilantro (similar to a fried mushroom I enjoyed in the mountains of Taiwan). The 'dolma' consisted of sushi rice wrapped in a marinated sesame leaf (there was some confusion over whether the leaf was actually perilla or sesame after questioning a few Koreans, but the leaf is actually more related to perilla and simply referred to as sesame).
Lastly, the aioli was taken from one of our friends who made a black garlic aioli after pondering what to do with some recently purchased black garlic. Here's to you, Frodesnor. You were officially on a P-dime menu.
