Chilled Nizakana

Nizakana is a wonderfully gentle Japanese way of cooking fish, simmering it briefly in seasoned dashi rather than frying or grilling it into submission. This version takes things one step further by letting the fish cool and chill in its braising liquid, giving all that soy, sake, mirin and ginger plenty of time to get acquainted. The real geekery, though, is hiding in the dashi, where kombu, shiitake and dried fish bring different umami compounds to the party and make each other taste even better. Light, deeply savoury and particularly lovely on a hot day, it is proof that sometimes the best thing you can do to a good piece of fish is very little.