Ei no Nikogori Chilled Simmered Ray

Name: Ei no Nikogori Chilled Simmered Ray
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: fresh cleaned ray 350 g; sake 60 ml; mirin 30 ml; thin ginger slices 3 slice; water 480 ml; sugar 24 g; soy sauce 60 ml

Quick answer

Active time: 75 min
Waiting: See the steps
Level: Medium
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Ray carries so much collagen in its skin and cartilage that the broth it simmers in, sweet and salty with ginger, sake, mirin and soy, sets like jelly once it cools, with no gelatin needed.

In Katsuragi, Nara, ray has long been chilled in its broth this way. Nara has no coast, but seafood landed in Osaka came in quickly along the Takenouchi road.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

thin ginger slices3 slice

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Discard ray with an ammonia odor or sticky signs of spoilage.

Cut 350g fresh cleaned ray into 6cm pieces, check for fragments of cartilage, and soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
2

Change the water twice while gently swishing the ray, then drain in a clean colander.

Press the surfaces thoroughly dry with paper towels.
3

Combine 60ml sake, 30ml mirin, 3 ginger slices, 480ml water, 24g sugar, and 60ml soy sauce in a pan that holds the ray in one layer. Boil over high heat for 2 minutes.
4

Add the ray without overlapping and lower to medium when the liquid returns to a boil.

Fit a paper drop lid, simmer 15 minutes, and spoon liquid over twice. Confirm the flesh is opaque and reaches at least 63°C.
5

Transfer the ray to a clean shallow container.

Fine-strain enough cooking liquid over it to come halfway up the pieces, then set the container in ice water and cool promptly while stirring the liquid.
6

Once cold and no longer steaming, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Lift the ray together with the jelly-firm broth, divide among three plates, and serve chilled.