SEABIRD’S NEST

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

45 ml.  Sake

30 ml.  Tamari soy sauce

45 ml.  Organic soy sauce

55 ml.  Mirin (sweet Japanese sake for cooking)

21 gr.   Katsuo kezuribushi (dried bonito flakes)

7 gr.   Dashi Konbu (dried Japanese seaweed)

15 gr.   Freshly-grated wasabi

Sea urchin and squid:

45 gr. fresh sea urchin (sashimi quality)

40 gr. fresh squid (sashimi quality)

1 shiso leaf

1 sheet dried nori seaweed (cut very thin)

½ tsp freshly-grated wasabi

Others:

1 quail's egg yolk

PREPARATION:

Sauce: Reduce the sake to 70% its original volume. Cook with the soy sauce, the organic soy sauce and the mirin. Remove any foam. Simmer until reduced to 70% of the original volume. Add the dried bonito flakes and boil for 30 sec. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 min. Strain and leave the bonito flakes to cool. Add the seaweed to the sauce and leave to cool. Chill overnight. Filter and, just before serving, add the freshly-grated wasabi.

Sea urchin and squid: Place the squid cut into pieces 5 cm x 10 cm on a chopping board. If thicker than 4 mm, cut to a thickness of 1-3 mm. Place a sheet of shiso between two thin slices of squid and cut into strands 1 mm. (or less) x 5 cm. Arrange these strands of squid forming a circle 10-12 cm in diameter on a clean chopping board. Sprinkle the freshly-grated wasabi on the squid. Place a fresh sea urchin at the centre and wrap with the strands of squid. Cut the nori seaweed into pieces 15 x 5 cm and lay out evenly on a plastic sheet. Roll the squid/sea urchin ball over this base of seaweed as if making a snowman. Make a small hole at the top of the ball and inject 2/3 of a teaspoonful of sauce.

TO SERVE:

Pour two teaspoonfuls of sauce on the base of the plate. Top with the nest of squid and sea urchin. Top with the quail's egg yolk. Serve.