I have now edited this post to correctly reflect the fish we were brought and used in the dish below. It was not Blue Marlin as I remembered, rather Striped Marlin. I guess I need to turn up my hearing aid.
Back to Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. (The reference to Hemingway ties into the story of the old man's search for the Blue Marlin, apparently now the reference is of little use.) A new fish guy stopped by and brought some tantalizing pieces of fish to try and tempt us and to convince us to try some of his fish. The first piece of fish we cut into was sashimi grade Striped Marlin. Honestly, I do not remember eating Marlin before and certainly not sashimi grade. Really, I do not know much about the true gradings of fish. I know fresh. I know mouth feel. I can taste and see fat and sinew respectively. Their flavor and textures tell me what I need to know about their quality.
The fish was good. No, it was more than good. It had a clean flavor with a firm and buttery texture. Think
of cold butter without the guilt factor. The fish sparked ideas. That does not always happen.
Today we sliced the fish into small stamp sized pieces and dressed it with soy sauce, walnut oil and yuzu juice. We added diced snap peas and nasturtium leaves for sweetness and spice. Finally a sprinkling of candied walnuts added texture and a hidden surprise to the components.
With an initial offering like this one, I plan to see what else is up this fish guy's sleeve.
