Noto Fish-Sauce Hot Pot (いしる鍋, Ishiru Nabe)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Donabe (Japanese clay pot), or a wide heavy pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Tori-zara individual plates
• •Chirirenge soup spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, before it boils. Add the katsuobushi, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for three minutes. Strain through a cloth without squeezing, because squeezing presses heavy, oily flavors into the clear stock.

2. 2

   Season the broth

   Pour the dashi into a donabe or wide heavy pot. Add the sake and 2 tablespoons of ishiru, then taste. It should be gently salty, clean, and deeper than plain dashi, but not sharp. Add the usukuchi only if the broth needs a rounder edge. Ishiru varies by maker, so tasting is not fussiness. It is the method.

3. 3

   Prepare the seafood

   Pat the fish, squid, and shrimp dry, and check that the clams are tightly closed or close when tapped. If the fish smells strong, change the dish and cook something else. This pot has nothing to hide behind. Cut the fish into pieces large enough to hold together, because small pieces cloud the broth and overcook before the vegetables are ready.

4. 4

   Start the vegetables

   Bring the seasoned broth to a quiet simmer. Add the daikon first and cook for about 6 minutes, until the edges begin to turn translucent. Add the hakusai stems, negi, shiitake, and tofu. These sturdier pieces go in before the seafood because they need time to soften, and the broth gathers sweetness from them as they cook.

5. 5

   Add the seafood

   Nestle in the fish, squid, shrimp, clams, and the leafy hakusai tops. Keep the simmer gentle, just enough movement to cook everything through. Boil it hard and the fish tightens, the squid toughens, and the broth turns cloudy. Cover for 4 to 6 minutes, until the clams open, the shrimp turn pink, and the fish flakes when nudged.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Taste the broth once more and add a few drops of ishiru if it needs salt and sea-depth. Scatter the seri or mizuna over the top and let it wilt for less than a minute, so the greens stay bright. Finish with yuzu peel if using. Carry the donabe to the table with individual tori-zara plates and chirirenge spoons, and serve from the pot while the surface stays glossy and clear.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the seafood first and build the pot around what is best that day. Cod in winter is excellent, but a glistening local white fish beats tired cod every time.
• •Ishiru is not interchangeable with Thai fish sauce in character or use. If you cannot find Noto ishiru, choose a Japanese shottsuru or ikanago shoyu and say plainly that the dish has changed.
• •Do not season the broth to full strength before the seafood goes in. Clams and fish add salt and depth as they cook, so leave a little room for them to speak.
• •A donabe holds heat gently and suits the table. A wide, heavy pot works, but keep the simmer quiet. Fierce boiling is how good seafood becomes an apology.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made one day ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it gently before seasoning, and do not boil it hard.
• •Vegetables can be cut several hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Cut the seafood close to cooking so the surfaces stay clean.
• •Clams can be scrubbed ahead and kept cold under a damp towel. Discard any that remain open after a firm tap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 840g)