Cook with shiso leaves: Scallop carpaccio and ROLLED pork belly with shiso
Shiso is a herb used widely for Japanese cooking. Some describe this as mint or basil but I think they are very different. We chop shiso julienne style and sprinkle on top of tofu with ginger and soy sauce, or combine it with salad greens to give some aroma. We also make dressing out from shiso, fry into tempura, and there are many other ways to prepare. In the US, we sometimes see shiso mojitos at fancy bars, where they use it instead of mint to give a different flavor to the regular mojito.
Today, I’m going to introduce 2 dishes using shiso: scallop carpaccio and rolled pork belly with shiso.
Scallop carpaccio
Ingredients (Servings 2 )
Sea scallops for sashimi (for raw eating) 6 pieces
Olive oil (for sous vide) 1 Tablespoon
Shiso leaves 5
Yuzu or sudachi citrus juice 1 Tablespoon
(You can substitute to lemon or lime)
Soy sauce 1.5 teaspoon
Olive oil 1 Tablespoon
Black pepper
If you are not using shiso right away, soak it in water for a minute and drain water. Wrap with paper towel and plastic wrap while shiso is still wet and keep in the fridge. Even if the shiso was wilted in the package, this process brings it back to freshness.
Cut off the shiso stem with a knife. Chop shiso leaves into julienne and soak in water for 10 seconds. Drain water. Soaking in water removes the bitterness.
Sous-vide the scallops. Combine scallops and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Place the sous-vide machine in water and set the temperature to 113F (45C). Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the bag from water, cool down at a room temperature, and chill in the fridge.
Note: Use scallops for sashimi. If you don’t have a sous-vide machine, you can serve the scallops raw. If you sous-vide scallops, you’ll get a slightly firmer texture than if raw, and they will stay juicy inside.
Cut off the hard white part of the scallops sticking on the side (it is edible though). Thinly slice scallop into 2-3 slices per piece and place on a plate.
For the dressing, combine yuzu citrus juice (or lemon/lime juice), soy sauce, olive oil and black pepper and mix well.
Pour the dressing over the scallops and sprinkle shiso leaves and black pepper on top.
You can substitute sashimi octopus for scallops. (They say “sashimi octopus” but the octopus you can get at the Japanese grocery store is already boiled and not raw.) Slice octopus thinly and use the same dressing and shiso.
Pork belly rolls with shiso
If you go to yakitori (chicken skewer) restaurants, you might be able to find this dish. It’s very easy to prepare and good for an appetizer or as a main dish!
Ingredients (3 skewers)
Pork belly slices 1/2lb
Shiso 15
Black pepper
Salt a little less than 1 teaspoon
Bamboo skewers 3
Soak bamboo skewers in water for one hour if you have time. (This prevents from burning skewers while grilling. I didn’t have time so I soaked for 10 minutes only this time.)
Place pork belly on a chopping board. Lay the edge of one slice on top of another. (See pictures above)
Sprinkle black pepper on the pork and place shiso on top without spaces inbetween.
Start rolling from the bottom to top very tightly.
Cut the roll into 9 pieces.
Put skewers into the middle of the rolls. (See the pictures above) 3 pieces per skewer. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the rolls. (If you are not grilling right away, keep the rolls in the fridge and sprinkle salt right before you grill.)
Heat the oven on high broil.
Place skewers on the rack with a tray and grill. (the same method as grilling fish)
Cook 4 minutes one side and flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes until the surface color changes to a nice, golden brown.
Serve with lemon wedges. (optional, if you have them around)