Seafood Ramen

Chef Emerson Bontecou / The East End

Tare:
3tbsp white miso
3tbsp roasted garlic
6tbsp tahini
¼ cup fish sauce
1 cup mirin
½ cup sesame oil
-add miso, roasted garlic and tahini to a blender and mix until smooth on high speed.
-add fish sauce, mirin and sesame oil and blend on high to incorporate.
-makes about 3 cups (enough for 16 bowls of ramen), keeps well in the refrigerator so save it for later.

Smoked mussels:
½ cup mirin
1” ginger, sliced into rounds
1tsp coriander seeds
9 “whitewater” mussels
½ cup wood chips, soaked in water
-add mirin, ginger, coriander and mussels to a pan and heat over high, covered, until the mussel shells open.
-in a smoker (I used a stovetop variety, but you can use a grill, outdoor smoker, steam basket etc.), heat woodchip until smoking, add mussels and cover. Smoke for 30 minutes so that they take on some smoke and color, but do not dry out. Set aside.

Assembly:
1tbsp neutral oil (canola, vegetable etc.)
3tbsp tare
9 smoked mussels
3 shrimp
7oz squid, cut into rings
1tsp kosher salt
1tsp ground black pepper
1tbsp smoked chili powder
16oz dashi
3oz ramen noodles
¼ cup shaved fennel
1tbsp sliced scallion
1tbsp cilantro leaves
1tsp toasted sesame seeds
1tsp toasted nori, crumbled
3 slices of pickled daikon radish
-heat a pot of water for cooking your noodles.
-heat a grill to very hot, toss shrimp and squid together with salt, pepper and chili powder and grill on a hot spot until charred and cooked through (about 45 seconds for the squid and a minute and a half for the shrimp). Set aside with the smoked mussels.
-add ramen noodles to boiling water and cook until just done (about a minute and a half). Strain and add to serving bowl.
-in a sauté pan, heat oil over a medium flame, add tare and stir around for 30 seconds.
-add dashi and whisk to combine.
-add shaved fennel, grilled and smoked seafood, bring up to a boil and pour into your serving bowl over the noodles.
-arrange seafood nicely and garnish with scallion, cilantro, sesame seeds, nori and pickled daikon radish.