truffles in the kitchen:
"steamed" bicourti fillet with asparagus
i had some left over bocourti fillet and a bunch of japanese asparagus in the fridge
so i decided to saute the asparagus (uncut) in a table spoon of olive butter
and cook the fish in the oven
ingredients for marinating the fish:
1 bocourti fillet
1/4 tsp of sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp of fine salt (optional)
a pinch of fine white pepper or black peppercorn
1 tsp of finely grated ginger
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
a handful or a small bunch of chinese corriander, roughly torn by hand
2 tsp of light olive oil
ingredients for sauteeing the asparagus:
a knob or 1 tbsp of olive butter or unsalted butter
a few drops of olive oil
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp of water or stock* if you have
a bunch of asparagus with the woody stems trimmed and shaved slightly with a sharp knife (i use the thicker stem ones)
ingredients for a light sauce to spoon over the dish:
2 tbsp of water or stock from the fish
1 tsp or a few drops of light soya sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
toppings (optional):
crispy sliced onions, chopped garlic and ginger
method:
rub the marinate ingredients on the fish and marinate in the tin foil for at least 30 mins
leave it in the fridge till you need to cook it
preheat the oven at 200 degrees and bake the fish fully wrapped in tin foil for 20 to 25 mins
there will be some liquid produced during the process of cooking the fish, which you can use to make the sauce or gravy
melt the butter in the non-stick pan
add the garlic and fry till fragrant but not brown
add the asparagus and coat them well with the butter
when it seems a bit dry, add the stock and cover with a lid
lift the lid and check constantly for doneness
when the asparagus are cooked, they still have a nice green colour, darker from its uncook look, tender but not soggy
they should be removed from the heat and transferred to serving plate immediately
they will continue to cook a little even after they've come out of the pan!
do not cover greens when they are hot or they'll turn brown!
when the fish is ready, transfer it on top of the asparagus
heat up the sauce and pour over
spoon over some crispy onions, garlic and ginger if you have!
* i cook some ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and soya bean stock sometimes and it can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days
the stock come in really handy for a quick soup with egg and tofu or minced pork balls
