Fishing in the Mar Menor: step one to a great Japanese dish

Japanese cuisine is a true delight for the senses, and you can enjoy it in the privacy of your home with the fruits of your labor from fishing in the Mar Menor. You’ll find plenty of shrimp, grey and red mullet, and eel, as well as seabream and silverside, all perfect ingredients for preparing an Eastern dish in a corner of the Iberian peninsula. Get ready to make a delicious tuna tataki with mullet caviar and an eel dish with rice. Slip on that apron and recreate these classic recipes with a little local touch: fresh native fish. Your dishes will take on a new depth and your guests will thank you.

Tuna tataki with grey mullet caviar

Ingredients

• Fresh tuna: 100 grams of tuna loin
• Grey mullet caviar: 10 grams
• Soy sauce: 10 ml
• Extra virgin olive oil: 10 ml
• Mirin: 10 ml
• Sliced almonds
• Mesclun

Preparation of the tuna tataki with grey mullet caviar

Sear the 100g of fresh tuna loin in a pan for a few seconds to seal the pores. Dip the tuna loin in ice water to halt the cooking process.

Mix together the soy sauce, olive oil, and mirin to make the sauce. Once well-blended, cut the tuna loin into fine slices and place onto the plate or dish you will use for serving. Place the mesclun and sliced almonds on top and serve the sauce on the side. There you have it! A simple, easy, tasty dish for those with a fondness for Japanese cuisine and the local bounty of the Mediterranean.

Eel with rice

Ingredients

• Eel: 400 grams
• Rice: 2 cups
• Sake: 1 tbsp
• Soy sauce: ½ cup
• Mirin: ½ cup
• Sugar: ¼ cup

Preparation of the eel with rice

To prepare this exquisite recipe of Japanese origin, you’ll first need to prepare the sauce. Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a pan and put it over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the sauce has an even consistency. Turn off the heat and leave the sauce to cool in the refrigerator as you cook the rice and the eel.

Place the eel in the pan, facing downwards, and drizzle the tablespoon of sake over it. Leave the eel in the pan with the sake over low heat and cover with a lid so it can steam. Once done, season the eel with a bit of your Kabayaki sauce, but don’t use it all because you’ll need the rest later.

Once the rice is done, serve it into bowls, put a bit more of the sauce over each portion, place the sliced eel on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sauce.

As you can see from the above, recipes don’t need to be complicated to be delicious or surprise your guests!

We hope these recipes will help you expand your horizons to Japanese cuisine the next time you find yourself in your La Manga Club kitchen. With so many fresh options available from the bountiful fishing in the Mar Menor, you’re sure to come up with your own creative options as well. Happy hunting!