mfrances' Reviews
2 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 2Sort by: Title 
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Seductions of Rice
By Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid
Artisan - 2003
Cucumber-Sesame Salad : page 78
I used a European cucumber with the peel on. It isn't easy to quarter this long cucumber lengthwise and then remove the seeds but I followed their instructions the first time. Now I cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds using a baby spoon, then quarter lengthwise before cutting into 2 inch lengths as instructed.
After salting and letting the cucumber drain for 20 minutes, I rinsed and squeezed and removed as much salt as possible. Still I thought there was too much salt. You can remedy this by later cutting slightly the amount of kosher salt in the dressing to adjust to your taste. Also after tasting, I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add a little freshness to the taste. The recipe indicates that the red bell pepper is for garnish but I think it is equally as delicious as the cucumber so I add more. Maybe it is the sesame oil that makes this a great salad.
useful (3)
I followed the recipe exactly using sea bass. They also suggest red snapper, salmon trout, or pickerel.
The recipe is very simple but I would not change or add anything. Ingredients include fresh ginger, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine or sherry which I used, sesame oil, scallions. The fresh ginger adds all the zip you need.
My fish was a little under 1 1/2 lbs and I had the tail removed but kept the head on. It barely fit in my steamer and a pie plate was the only thing I had that would fit. I used a long strip of foil folded in thirds under the plate. This allowed me to remove the cooked fish and plate without spilling any of the delicious broth.
I served with jasmine rice and the Cucumber-Sesame Salad that I have also reviewed.
useful (0)