Recipe 07 | The Alchemy of Fermentation, Flame & Sea
“A sardine briefly salted and touched by flame; koji rice cooked to a glossy, wine-darkened grain; dulse folded into a marine emulsion; and ponzu sharpened with citrus. The dish moves through fermentation, smoke, salinity and acidity, then resolves in two precise bites.”
Watch the Technique
Three Chapters. One Precise Sequence.
Follow the preparation in three portrait-format chapters, from the koji rice to the final plate.
E Q U I P M E N T
- Steamer or combi oven
- Perforated tray / gastronorm
- Clean breathable koji cloth or liner
- Proofing cabinet or controlled chamber at 30°C
- Fine sieve or kitchen cloth
- High-speed blender and immersion blender
- Small saucepans
- Blowtorch
- Digital scale, thermometer and fine tweezers
I N G R E D I E N T S
I. CULTIVATED KOJI RICE
- Arborio rice: 30 g
- Koji-kin / koji spores: 0.3 g
- Water: as needed for rinsing and steaming
II. RED-WINE KOJI RISOTTO
- Cultivated, dried koji rice: 40 g
- Red wine (Merlot): 50 g
- Kaffir lime leaf: 1
- Blueberry vinegar, house-made: 2 g, or to taste
III. SALTED SARDINE
- Sardine fillets, cleaned and pin-boned: 100 g
- Fine sea salt: 3 g
- Ponzu: to taste, for brushing
- Extra-virgin olive oil: to taste, for brushing
IV. PONZU REDUCTION
- Ponzu: 100 g
- Agave syrup: 15 g
- Lemon juice: 10 ml
- Kuzu starch: 5 g
- Cold water for slurry: 10 g
V. DULSE MAYONNAISE
- Fresh dulse seaweed: 1,000 g
- Cold water: 1,000 ml
- Dulse water, strained: 50 g
- Pasteurised egg white: 30 g / 1 large egg white
- Grapeseed oil: 150 g
- Xanthan gum: 1 g
- Mahyawa (fermented fish sauce): 5 g
VI. FINISHING – FOR 4 PLATES
- Salted sardine: 100 g / 25 g per plate
- Koji risotto: 72 g / 18 g per plate
- Fresh ginger, finely grated: 8 g
- Fresh horseradish, finely grated: 4 g
- Fermented green peppercorns in brine, halved: 4 pieces
- Dulse mayonnaise: 80 g
- Ponzu reduction: 40 g
- Micro coriander: 4 g
- Fennel flowers: 4 g
- Fennel fronds: 4 g
- Rocket flowers: 4 g
- Red wine reduction (same Merlot, reduced separately): 8 g
01. CULTIVATE THE KOJI
The Fermented Grain
Rinse the Arborio rice thoroughly. Steam in a perforated tray at 100°C for 10 minutes, until cooked through yet still defined. Cool rapidly to 30°C. Spread evenly over a sanitised, breathable liner, dust uniformly with koji-kin and incubate at a stable 30°C for 48-72 hours. Once the grains show a fine white bloom and a clean, sweet mushroom-like aroma, break them apart gently. Dry briefly beneath a low pass heat lamp, then finish drying at room temperature (about 20-22°C) until fully dry, typically 12-24 hours depending on humidity.
Technical point: The grain should be evenly colonised, never wet or compacted. The aroma must remain clean and sweet.
02. PREPARE THE DULSE WATER & MAYONNAISE
The Marine Emulsion
Soak the fresh dulse in the cold water overnight. Blend thoroughly, then pass through a fine sieve or kitchen cloth and keep the liquid very cold. For the emulsion, combine 50 g dulse water with the pasteurised egg white, xanthan and 5 g Mahyawa. Blend with an immersion blender, then add the grapeseed oil in a slow stream until glossy and mayonnaise-like. Chill immediately.
Technical point: Keep every element cold. A warm emulsion will lose definition and mute the seaweed’s freshness.
03. MAKE THE PONZU REDUCTION
Citrus, Salinity & Gloss
Warm the agave syrup over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add the ponzu and reduce gently, preserving freshness rather than concentrating it aggressively. Mix the kuzu with 10 g cold water, whisk into the simmering ponzu and cook until translucent and lightly nappant. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, then chill.
Technical point: The finished sauce should coat lightly and remain bright; do not reduce it into a heavy glaze.
04. COOK THE RED-WINE KOJI RISOTTO
The Fermented Rice
Warm the red wine (Merlot) in a small pan. Add the cultivated koji rice and cook gently as for a risotto, stirring until the grains are rehydrated, cohesive and glossy. Fold through the finely julienned kaffir lime leaf and finish with the blueberry vinegar. The finished rice should hold its shape when pressed while remaining tender.
Technical point: The rice must be compact enough to shape yet soft enough to eat in a single, clean bite.
05. CURE & TORCH THE SARDINE
Salt, Score, Flame
Clean and fillet the sardines, removing every pin bone. Salt for exactly 5 minutes, rinse in very cold water and dry thoroughly. Remove the skin carefully. Mark the surface with a shallow crosshatch, then pass a blowtorch briefly over the flesh – just enough to warm the surface and release the fish’s natural oils without cooking through. Brush lightly with ponzu and extra-virgin olive oil. Use fish approved for raw service and follow the applicable local cold-chain and parasite-control requirements.
Technical point: The flame should perfume and lightly melt the surface, not cook the fish through.
06. SHAPE, FINISH & PLATE
Two Precise Bites
Divide 18 g warm koji risotto into two 9 g portions per plate and shape each into a compact nigiri. Add a trace of grated ginger, then lay the sardine over the rice. Place a fine point of horseradish at the centre of each piece. Arrange two nigiri per plate; garnish with micro coriander, fennel flower, fennel fronds and rocket flower. Set half a fermented green peppercorn on each nigiri and coat one corner of the fish with dulse mayonnaise. Serve alongside a separate chilled saucer: spoon in the ponzu reduction, add droplets of the red wine reduction and draw them together only slightly for a marbled finish.
Technical point: Keep the rice warm, the sardine cool and the garnishes freshly cut. Assemble à la minute.
Chef’s Technical Notes
- The 3 g salt applied to 100 g sardine is a brief 3% seasoning cure; it does not preserve the fish.
- Score only the surface. Deep cuts will weaken the fillet and make the sardine difficult to drape over the rice.
- Torch in short passes. The ideal result is aromatic and lightly melted at the surface, with the centre remaining supple.
- Healthy koji should carry a fine white bloom and a clean cereal, mushroom and apricot-like aroma. Discard any batch showing coloured mould or a putrid smell.
- The dulse emulsion and prepared sardine must remain chilled and be handled with sanitised utensils.
- Hydrate kuzu in cold liquid before adding it to the hot ponzu; boil just long enough to remove raw starchiness and create a clear gloss.
Critical Control Points
- Koji-spore dose set at 0.3 g for 30 g rice, a 1% inoculation rate within standard artisan range.
- Control the koji chamber at 30°C and prevent condensation from dripping onto the grain bed.
- Use pasteurised egg white for the cold emulsion and refrigerate immediately after blending.
- Keep raw sardine under strict cold-chain control and comply with the relevant local raw-fish requirements.
- Add the citrus, herbs, flowers and wine reduction only at the pass.
Scaling Guidance
- Draft yield: 4 portions, 2 nigiri per portion, based on 25 g sardine and 18 g risotto per plate.
- The dulse-water quantity is a professional production batch and will produce substantial surplus for four portions.
- Scale finishing quantities linearly; maintain the five-minute sardine cure regardless of batch size.
- Prepare the nigiri in small batches so the rice remains warm and the fish remains cold.
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