Suimono

Method

1. Wipe 4 g of kombu with a damp cloth, leaving the white bloom on it, and put it in a small saucepan with 300 ml of cold water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes so the glutamates draw out before any heat is applied.
2. Set the pan over the lowest heat and bring it up slowly over about 10 minutes. When fine bubbles cling to the kombu and the water trembles at around 80C, lift the kombu out — never let it boil or the broth turns slippery and smells of the sea.
3. Bring the liquid just to the boil, take the pan off the heat and scatter in 5 g of katsuobushi. Leave undisturbed for 2 minutes until the flakes sink, then strain through a muslin-lined sieve without pressing. You should have a pale gold, perfectly clear ichiban dashi.
4. Cut 40 g of sea bream into 2 bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with 0.25 tsp of the salt and rest 10 minutes. Dip the pieces in just-boiled water for 10 seconds until the surface whitens, then plunge into cold water and pat dry — this shimofuri step removes any scum so the soup stays clear.