Sashimi and Daikon Carpaccio

This post is in conjunction with the Sake Gumi December 2021 theme Winter Food Traditions. Sake Gumi is Umami Mart's monthly club celebrating Japan's brewed beverage! Join today to try all three recipes with our club offerings.

Although we can not visit Japan again this year to join in on these festivities, the next best thing is to celebrate them from afar with recipes that are prevalent in Japan during the winter. Revel in the bounty of winter ingredients with recipes I'll be releasing this month as part of the Winter Food Traditions series. These recipes are specifically paired with sakes offered this month during Sake Gumi. However, I urge you to chart your own territories with other beverage pairings as well!

During the winter, we crave buttery, rich fish. That's why I was happy to get a very simple recipe from the folks at Tonoike Shuzo to pair with their sake, Bo: Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu. Their suggestion was to slice raw salmon and serve with daikon. However, my fish market didn't have great looking salmon this week, so I opted for some glistening hamachi (yellowtail). Ask your monger for a recommendation for the best fish to eat sashimi-style, and use that for this easy-as-1-2-3 recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 inch of daikon sliced into thin coins
1/4 lb fresh sashimi, sliced
1 tbsp good olive oil
1/4 lemon or yuzu with peel

METHOD

1. Choose a flat plate and lay the daikon slices on the plate.

2. Add a slice or two of sashimi on top of the daikon pieces.

3. Drizzle with your best extra virgin olive oil.

4. Squeeze a bit of lemon or yuzu on top and garnish with citrus peels.

The lively flavors of the once-pasteurized Bo: Junmai Ginjo danced in my mouth with the citrus infused sashimi. The best part about this pairing is that you can whip it up in five minutes while the Sake Kasu Tonjiru simmers.