Grilled Bonito, Crunchy Salad with Toasted Rice & Yuzu

Before starting this Grilled Bonito, Crunchy Salad with Toasted Rice and Yuzu recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.

For the Japanese-style rice: Measure the rice first, as this will determine the amount of water needed. Use a measuring cup rather than a scale, as we want to know the volume, not the weight.

200 grams of rice equals 20 cl on the graduation for liquids. Rinse the rice with cold running water a few times to get rid of the starch.
Use clean water for this operation.

Strain the rice.

Transfer the rice in a saucepan.

Measure the same volume of cold water (20 cl)...

... and add the water to the saucepan.

Cover with the saucepan with a lid...

... and bring to a boil. The lid should be completely airtight, which is why we used a heavy frying pan turned over.

When you see smoke starting to leak out from the lid, take the pan away from the heat. Set aside with the lid on for 10 at least 10 minutes. The rice will cook slowly in the pan. This is a quick, easy recipe for cooking rice. One to remember!

For the bonito: Cut off the tail...

... and make an incision around the head, just behind the gills.

Repeat on the other side. Watch the technique at 04:42.

Cut the fillets. Of course, you can skip steps 11 to 13 and ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish.

To remove the skin, hold the fillet by the tail. Insert the knife crosswise between the skin and the fillet, then slide flat on your worktop surface.

The fillet should be boneless and skinless.

For the toasted rice: Place a non-stick frying pan over medium/high heat.

Pour the rice in the hot pan.

Spread the rice to a thin layer and fry without oil...

... until golden.

Stir frequently for a homogeneous colour.

Take the pan away from the heat and transfer the rice into cold pan to stop it from cooking.

Process in a mixer into a coarse powder.

Slicing the vegetables: Using a mandolin slicer or a knife, slice the vegetables into a julienne.

Reserve the raw vegetable strips.

For the dressing: In a bowl, tip 2 tablespoons of sugar cane syrup and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.

Add 6 tablespoons of yuzu juice.

Finely chop two red chillies. Reduce or increase the quantity of chilli according to taste.

Add chopped chillies to the dressing.

Add 9 tablespoons of fish sauce and stir. Do not add salt!

Set aside.

Cooking the bonito: Heat a little olive oil in a hot frying pan.

Fry the fillets...

... for about 30 seconds on each side.

The bonito should be raw in the centre.

Reserve on a cooling rack.

Assembling the plat: Season the raw vegetables with the dressing. Don't macerate the vegetables for too long to make sure they stay crunchy.

Combine the vegetables and dressing.

Add 8 to 10 mint leaves. Don't chop the mint to prevent the leaves from turning black.

Cut the bonito fillets into slices to a width of about 1.5 cm...

... and marinate with the rest of the dressing. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

In a deep plate, arrange a disc of cooked rice using a pastry cutter.

Add the toasted rice to the vegetables at the last minute...

... and combine well.

Remove the stainless steel ring and arrange a few vegetables on top, using decorating tweezers.

Arrange the bonito slices on top. Count 3 slices per plate.

Arrange a few mint leaves...

... and sprinkle toasted rice at the last minute before serving.

This dish is best enjoyed warm. Bon appétit!