15 g
Freeze-dried yuzu powder(whole fruit freeze-dried and ground to fine powder)
30 ml
Fresh yuzu juice(hand-pressed, strained)
8 g
Yuzu kosho(green variety from Kyushu)
12 g
Kanazawa sea salt(fine crystal)
15 ml
Mirin(hon-mirin, 3-year aged)
1 medium
Japanese cucumber(mandolined to paper-thin rounds)
8 leaves
Shiso leaves(young green leaves, stems removed)
5 ml
White soy sauce(usukuchi shoyu)
12 sprigs
Mitsuba leaves(tender leaves only)
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Method
1
Combine 8g sea salt with 3g freeze-dried yuzu powder. Cure hiramasa fillet for 35 minutes—fish should feel firm but yield slightly to pressure, with surface moisture drawn out but not completely desiccated.
2
Rinse cured fish under ice-cold water for 10 seconds, pat completely dry with paper towels. Slice against the grain into 12 pieces, each 8mm thick, ensuring knife blade is cleaned between cuts to maintain clean edges.
3
Whisk fresh yuzu juice with mirin until homogeneous. Add 2g yuzu kosho, whisking until paste dissolves completely—mixture should be pale green and aromatic. Taste should balance citrus brightness with fermented heat.
4
Toss cucumber rounds with white soy sauce and remaining 1g yuzu kosho. Let stand 10 minutes until cucumbers release slight moisture but retain structural integrity and gentle spice penetration.
5
Arrange 3 pieces hiramasa per plate using ikebana principles—asymmetrical placement with intentional negative space. Nestle seasoned cucumber rounds between fish, creating visual rhythm without crowding.
6
Just before service, dust each plate with remaining freeze-dried yuzu powder using fine-mesh sieve—powder should fall like snow, some adhering to fish oils, some to plate. Garnish with shiso leaves and mitsuba, drizzle yuzu-mirin mixture around plate perimeter.
