Pan Simmered Pacific

Ingredients

1. 1 to 1 1/2 pounds black cod fillets, skin on or skinless
2. 1/4 cup sake
3. 1/4 cup rice vinegar
4. 1/4 cup canola, rice bran or other neutral oil
5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
6. 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
7. Dark sesame oil, for garnish
8. 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
9. 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

1. Prepare sauce:In a large sauté pan, mix the sake, rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce and ginger. Bring to a simmer on medium to medium high heat.
2. Simmer fish in sauce:Lay each fillet in the pan. (If using skin-on fillets, place the fillets skin-side down in the pan.) Use a spoon to baste the tops of each fillet until you see the flakes of the fish separate a little, which should take about 30 seconds to 1 minute per fillet.
3. Let the fish simmer for 3-6 minutes, depending on how thick they are. Estimate 3 minutes for a 1/4 inch-thick fillet, up to 6 minutes for an inch-thick fillet. Gently move the fish to individual plates. If you want, use (clean) needle-nosed pliers or tweezers to remove the pin bones in the fillets.
4. Reduce sauce:Increase the heat on the sauce and boil vigorously for 1 minute, stirring constantly to reduce the sauce.
5. Serve: Spoon a tablespoon or more of the sauce over each fillet and discard the rest. Drizzle a little bit of sesame oil over each fillet, then garnish with the green onions and toasted sesame seeds.