Surimi

Instructions

1. Check 200 g of skinless white fish for pin bones and any dark bloodline, cutting the dark flesh away, it dulls the colour and the flavour. Cut the fillet into 2 cm chunks.
2. Put the fish in a bowl of ice-cold water, swirl for 2 minutes, then drain through a sieve. Repeat with fresh cold water twice more, about 10 minutes in all, until the water runs clear and the flesh is white. Tip the fish into a clean cloth and wring it firmly to squeeze out as much water as possible, then chill for 10 minutes.
3. Grind the cold fish in a suribachi with a wooden pestle, or pulse in a food processor, for 2-3 minutes until it comes together as a sticky, lump-free paste. Keep the bowl sitting in a tray of ice: if the paste warms above about 10C it will never set springy.
4. Add 5 g of fine sea salt and grind hard for a further 4-5 minutes. The paste will change character as the protein dissolves, turning glossy, pale and stiff enough to hold a ridge, this elasticity is the ashi that makes surimi.