Butter Fish – How to Cook It, Information and Characteristics

The popular butter fish is not really a species of fish, but rather a group of fish that are used to make different dishes that can be made with different culinary styles.

There is no Japanese restaurant in Spain that does not offer it on the menu as part of a  Nigeria; that is, a delicious piece of raw fish meat on a little rice, usually presented in the form of a ball.

Also, you can taste the charcoal-grilled, grilled or baked butterfish, and even other much more daring and original dishes. However, although everyone is talking about this delicious fish, and they consume it on a daily basis, there is enormous confusion regarding the type of fish used to make dishes with its name.

Generally, more than several types of fish are used to make a dish with the so-called butterfish, which are very different from each other. However, the type of fish you use to make the dish does not matter, as long as the meat is white, its texture is quite fatty, very firm and delicate, similar to the traditional butter that we all know.

This particular texture of its meat, for which its name comes on purpose, makes the fish used the right ones to eat raw, either in the form of sashimi or Japanese inquiry,  Peruvian-style ceviche strips , and other preparations.

It’s important to know that the meat of the fish used to make a butterfish dish has little flavor. For this reason, you must include ingredients in the preparation that enhance the flavor of the condiments or dressings used.

Currently, one of the best styles of preparation of the dish that has been much imitated is that of Ricardo Saenz, the popular chef of Kabuki Wellington. If you did not know it, find out that it is the best Spanish Japanese cuisine establishment. This artist had the curious idea of ​​flavoring an insipid fish by adding a truffle purée on top, remaining part of the culinary history of Japanese culture in Spain.

Instructions for Butter Fish – cook it, Information and Features

To surprise everyone by preparing a famous butterfish dish, here are some simple but delicious recipes to include in your menu for special occasions:

Butterfish with fennel and truffles

• First of all, you should freeze a little the butterfish that you like the most, to be able to more easily cut about four fillets of 1 cm thick.
• Meanwhile, place the black truffle paste on the bottom of the plate.
• In a pan, seal the butterfish fillets with a few strips of fennel and the bean sprouts, after seasoning them a little.
• Then, place the butterfish fillets on top of the plate with truffle paste.
• On the fillets, place a little bit of chopped onion as fine as possible and a little of the fresh fennel leaf.
• To garnish, add lemon juice, and bon appetite!

Nigeria-sushi

1. First, wash the rice well several times until it comes out clear, to remove all the starch.
2. Then, cook the rice in water, covering the pot well for about 15 minutes.
3. Then, let it rest for another 15 minutes, without uncovering the pot.
4. Meanwhile the rice rests, heat the apple cider vinegar or common vinegar with brown sugar and sea salt a little, stirring non-stop until you see that it has been mixed well.
5. Later, put it to cool and reserve it.
6. Now, carefully spread it on the cooked rice on a tray with the support of a wooden spoon preferably.
7. Start making grooves in the rice from one side to the other, and also from top to bottom.
8. Then let it sit until it cools completely.
9. You can place the rice in your moistened hands and make more or less rounded balls. But you can also use plastic or rubber molds that are already prefabricated to make this dish.
10. If you don’t have these molds, you can also improvise by using ice cube trays to mold the rice.
11. Next, we cut very thin fillets of fish and stick them on top of the wasabi rice balls.
12. Also, to make the aesthetic finish look much more striking, you can place nor seaweed around the entire Nigeriasushi. This will also add a better flavor to it.
13. Finally, you can accompany this dish with soy sauce mixed with wasabi, and the traditional slices of pickled ginger.

Butter fish tatami

1. To start, you must season the butter fish that you chose.
2. Next, put a frying pan over low heat with olive oil and sesame oil.
3. When the oil is hot, brown the fish on the outside and reserve.
4. Then find a large bowl and fill it with water and ice.
5. Submerge the butterfish in the bowl and let it cool.
6. Meanwhile it cools, put the sea spaghetti to soak in a container for about 10 minutes.
7. On the other hand, to prepare the sauce, put a saucepan over low heat with water and brown sugar. Include about 50 ml of miring and a little soy sauce.
8. Little by little, as you stir, pour in some of the orange, lemon, and lime juice, cooking everything until the sugar liquidizes and turns into a syrup.
9. Wash and clean the turnip to be able to cut it into fine julienne strips; add salt and pepper to taste. And leave it cooling in a bowl with water, salt and ice.
10. Finally, place cuts of the butterfish in two cm thick slices to serve alongside the sea spaghetti and julienned turnip; accompanied by white rice and the sauce you prepared.

Butterfish in miso sauce

1. Place the sweet rice wine and sake in a saucepan over low heat and let them boil for 5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the miso paste.
3. Mix them until the miso paste dissolves completely.
4. Add refined sugar little by little and increase the heat, stirring well so that the sugar dissolves.
5. Let cool and reserve this mixture in a large baking pan.
6. Once cold, place the butter fish that you like the most in the mold, bathing it completely. Then, refrigerate it overnight or for at least 6 hours.
7. Preheat your oven to about 400° F.
8. Heat the sunflower oil well in a frying pan to seal the fish.
9. Avoid over-mixing so you don’t make a mess in the kitchen.
10. Fry the fillets over high heat, making sure to brown them without burning them.
11. Turn them over after about two minutes.
12. Finally, take them on a tray to the oven and roast them for about 10 minutes.
13. When you notice that they look flaky and crispy, you can take them out of the oven and plate them as you prefer.
14. You can usually accompany this delicious dish with white rice, turnip strips or pickled ginger.

What do you need for Butter Fish – cook it, Information and Characteristics?

For the butterfish with fennel and truffles

• 400 grams of slices of the butter fish that you like the most.
• 200 grams of black truffle puree.
• 4 tbsp. of soy sauce.
• 2 cods of lemon juice.
• 1 spring onion
• Fresh fennel.
• Soybean sprouts
• Olive oil.

For the Nigeria sushi

• 500 grams rice for sushi.
• 750cc Water.
• 70cc rice vinegar.
• 1 tbsp. of brown sugar.
• 1 tbsp. of sea salt.
• 100 grams fish (pomfret or school).
• 1 tbsp. Wasabi sauce.
• Nora seaweed rolls.
• 2 tbsp. Japanese soy sauce.
• Pickled ginger as a side dish.

For the butterfish tatami

• 200 gr of the butter fish that you like the most.
• 1 tsp. of salt.
• A pinch of pepper.
• 1 tbsp. Of olive oil.
• 1 tbsp. of sesame oil.
• Brown sugar.
• 50 ml of miring.
• 4 tbsp. of soy sauce.
• 1 cup of orange juice.
• 2 tbsp. of lemon juice.
• 1 tbsp. of lime juice.
• 1 cup of sea spaghetti
• 1 medium turnip.
• 1 cup of white rice.

Butterfish in miso sauce

• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup of sweet rice wine for cooking.
• 4 tbsp. white miso paste
• 3 cods of refined sugar.
• 6 medium fillets of black cod.
• Sunflower oil.
• Pickled ginger.

Tips for Butter Fish – cooking it, Information and Characteristics

Among the species of fish with which you can make the famous butterfish dish are  pompano, halibut, cloves, and black cod. So that you know a little more about these fish, here is some interesting information and some of their characteristics:

The branch

1. It has an oval body, tight and tall. It measures approximately 16 cm, but can reach 50 cm in length; its skin color is bright gray and it weighs almost a kilogram.
2. Also known as the Japanese pompano or palmetto, it is native to the western coasts of the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea.
3. It is highly appreciated by the local population of China, although its delicious meat is not only used to make traditional sushi, but also to eat roasted.
4. In Spain, especially in Andalusia, this fish is used to make marinades and for its high protein content.

Halibut

1. It is a very large flat fish, which reaches 1.20 meters in length and approximately 200 kg in weight; even 3-meter-long specimens weighing around 350 kg have been found in the Atlantic Ocean.
2. This fish is commonly confused with flounder, but they don’t even belong to the same family.
3. It is a slow-growing species, for this reason overfishing is putting it at risk, due to its extinction.
4. It is generally marketed for oil extraction from its liver as Natural Retinol, which is much better than cod liver oil.
5. Its meat is highly nutritious in protein and vitamin B3, compared to that of other species.
6. Nutritionally speaking, it is highly sought after due to the high levels of EPA and DHA contained in its meat.

The nail school

1. It is Spain is also known as the “white tuna”. However, in Japan consumption is prohibited because it is considered toxic.
2. In Spain it is known as butter fish or black school fish; Uruguay is known as oil fish, in Cuba as oil fish, in Ecuador as the “miramelindo”.
3. It is a pelagic type fish, which can reach 2.5 meters long.
4. These fish can only be marketed duly packed or packaged, with their respective labeling; in order to inform the consumer regarding the forms of adequate preparation. As well as warning about the implicit risks, related to the presence of some substances that produce adverse gastrointestinal effects in some people.
5. As a preventive strategy in order to reduce the risks, it is recommended to roast or cook it using techniques or procedures that produce an almost total reduction in fat.
6. Also, you should not consume more than 200 g per day and no more than three times a week, since its fat is a very powerful laxative.
7. This fish is widely used as a trophy in sporting events due to its large size.

Black cod

1. Also known as the gender fish, it can be caught off the coast of Alaska and is highly prized by the Japanese community.
2. Although it takes its name from resembling cod, it does not belong to a species of them; In addition, its white meat makes a lot of difference in its texture.
3. The texture of its meat and its high fat and protein content make it an unbeatable option for dishes with cuts of raw or fried meat.