Pan Seared Wild Rockfish and Soft Shell Crab Tempura with Ginger and Yuzu Glaze, Cucumber and Toasted Nori

Ingredients

• 6 servings canola oil as needed
• 0.5 tablespoon asian chili garlic paste such as sambal oelek
• 10 ounces club soda 
• 0.5 cup cornstarch 
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1  cucumber seedless thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 0.5 cup heavy cream 
• 1  juice of orange juiced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 6 servings kosher salt 
• 1  lime 
• 8 ounces lump crab meat picked over
• 1 sheet nori seaweed 
• 1 quart vegetable oil; peanut oil preferred for frying
• 6  shell crabs soft cleaned
• 2  chiles fresh red seeded thinly sliced
• 1 cup rice flour 
• 0.5 tablespoon rice vinegar 
• 30 ounce rockfish fillets wild
• 0.5 bunch scallions green thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• 0.5 cup lite soy sauce 
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 1.5 cups yuzu juice concentrate 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• baking paper
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• cutting board

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a deep saucepan, heat canola oil to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, toss cucumbers with rice vinegar, set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine about 1 tablespoon canola oil and the ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add heavy cream and lime juice, boil until reduced by half. Fold in crabmeat, season mixture with salt, set aside.
5. Place flour on a plate. Season the rockfish with salt and lightly dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
6. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat about 1 tablespoon canola oil.
7. Add rockfish, skin side down, just until skin is crisp, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook to brown other side, about 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Remove fillets to a cutting board, cut fillets in half horizontally. Top half the pieces with the crab mixture and sandwich back together. Wrap portions individually in waxed or parchment paper.
9. Place on a baking sheet and bake until fish is cooked through and crab stuffing is hot, about 5 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, dip crabs in Tempura Batter and fry until lightly brown and crispy, about 3 minutes, drain quickly on paper towel and cut in half.
11. To serve: On the bottom of the plate, place a few cucumber slices.
12. Drizzle with Yuzu Glaze.
13. Remove rockfish from waxed paper and sprinkle sides with some of the Nori Flakes.
14. Place rockfish over cucumber, plate soft shell crab next to fish.
15. Sprinkle with scallions and chilies.
16. Sprinkle with remaining Nori Flakes and stick a Toasted Nori Triangle in each crab half.
17. In a medium stainless steel bowl, whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, salt and ginger.
18. Whisk in club soda. Refrigerate or keep this batter on ice until ready to fry. You may need to whisk in additional flour or water to adjust the batter if it stands.
19. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine ginger, orange juice, yuzu juice, soy sauce and chili garlic paste. Bring to a simmer.
20. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar and the 1 tablespoon water. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture turns a dark amber color, about 5 to 10 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent burning.
21. When the sugar reaches the desired color, carefully whisk in the simmering yuzu mixture. Return to a simmer.
22. Whisk the cornstarch with enough water to form a smooth slurry.
23. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the yuzu mixture a little at a time, letting it return to a boil between additions, until the mixture has thickened to a glaze. You may not need all of the cornstarch.
24. Tear nori into small pieces. Grind to a fine powder in batches in a coffee or spice grinder.
25. Using a sharp knife cut to cut nori into 12 small triangles.
26. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil.
27. Add triangles, cook, turning once, until crisped and shiny on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.
28. Drain on paper towels.