Red Snapper and Clam Hot Pot (Sugata Nabe)
Daria Souvorova
30-40 minutes
serves: 2-4
Next weekend, we are throwing a huge Japanese-Hawaiian fusion dinner, so I wanted to get a head start on trying out some of the flavors. Red snapper is beautiful, it is one of my favorite fishes for dishes in which I want to present the whole fish.
For the dinner party, I will serve this dish alongside a second hot pot called Yose Nabe, generally referred to as the Anything Goes Hot Pot where I will have a plethora of flavors, so I will keep the broth simple for the Snapper Hot pot.
Tonight, I wanted to add a bit of nuance to the flavor by adding some clam meats to the broth. The pairing is delicious, but if you want to go for a more traditional flavor, omit the clams.
This can be cooked on a hot plate right at the table or cooked beforehand in the kitchen. If you are cooking it table-side, it might take a bit longer to cook through.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound red snapper, cleaned and gutted, head intact
- salt to cure the fish
- 6 inch piece of kombu
- 1/4 pound napa cabbage, sliced
- 1 cup clam meats
- 2 cups water
- 2 scallions, white parts sliced into 1 inch tubes (greens reserved for garnish)
- 7 ounces shimeji or enoki mushrooms
- 1/2 cup sake
- shime:
- 1 cup sushi rice, cooked according to package
- or 2-3 cups udon noodles, cooked
- garnish:
- scallion greens, sliced
- Ponzu dipping sauce:
- 1/2 tablespoon mirin
- 2 tablespoons dashi
- 2 tablespoons juice of lemon, lime, grapefruit, or yuzu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons usuhuchi soy sauce (light soy sauce)
-
- Cut a large X on the red snapper on both sides.
Dry with paper towels and salt both sides. Leave on counter for 20-30 minutes.
Dry fish again and rub off any excess salt. - Place kombu on the bottom of a small pot or donabe. Add cabbage and mussels on top.
Add water and cover with lid.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. - Carefully add the fish into the hot pot. Arrange mushrooms on both sides around the fish.
- Add the sake and white bottoms of scallion, cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove lid and cook for a few minutes longer, uncovered. This allows some of the strong alcohol scent to air out.
- Combine all of the ponzu dipping sauce ingredients.
- Serve in the donabe cooking pot with scallions and ponzu on the side. If making a large version of this, I would eat the hot pot first and then add the shime into the pot to cook a few minutes longer, but when cooking for two, we divide the shime between our bowls and add the contents of the hot pot on top.
- Cut a large X on the red snapper on both sides.

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