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Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Fried Sushi Cakes

5.0(130)

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's recipe here, for fried cakes of sushi-style rice topped with chipotle mayonnaise and raw scallop, then painted with a thin glaze of a soy-honey mixture, is just irresistible. (If I were an award committee, I’d give it “best of the year.”)

by Mark Bittman·published 2012-09-19

Open original recipe

JapaneseDinner, Main Course

Servings

(6–12)

Total time

Calories / serving

—

Ingredients (23)

serves

1 and 1/2 cups short-grain sushi rice
2 tablespoons mirinmirin
1 and 1/2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegarvinegar
2-inch piece konbu
1 tablespoon saltsalt
1 egg yolkegg
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegarvinegar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange juice
2 teaspoons lime juicelime-juice
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo, including some of the liquidchipotle-in-adobo
1 teaspoon saltsalt
3/4 cup grapeseed oilgrapeseed-oil
1/4 cup olive oilolive-oil
1/2 cup light soy saucesoy-sauce
1/2 cup honeyhoney
2 tablespoons sherry vinegarsherry-vinegar
1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegarvinegar
Rice flour, for dredging (or substitute all-purpose flour)rice-flour
Grapeseed oilgrapeseed-oil
Coarse saltsalt
Minced scallionsscallion
6 big scallops, each sliced into 4 piecesscallop
Minced cilantrocilantro

Instructions (6 steps)

01Combine sushi rice, mirin, rice-wine vinegar, konbu and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid wrapped in a damp cloth and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, use a rice cooker.) Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
02Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with plastic wrap. Firmly press the rice into the pan. Refrigerate until set, preferably overnight. Remove the rice from the pan and, using a chef’s knife dipped in hot water to prevent sticking, cut into roughly 1-by-3-inch rectangles.
03Make the chipotle mayonnaise: Combine the egg yolk, red-wine vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, adobo and liquid and 1 teaspoon salt and purée in a food processor or blender. Add the 3/4 cup grapeseed oil and the olive oil in a drizzle and process until smooth, thick and creamy.
04Make the honey soy sauce: In a small saucepan, bring the soy sauce, honey, sherry vinegar and 1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar to a boil and stir until smooth. Cool before using.
05Heat grapeseed oil in a pan, deep enough to just about cover the rectangles. A broad skillet will require more oil than a deep saucepan, but will allow you to cook more pieces at once. Allow oil temperature to reach 350 to 360 degrees. Dredge the rice rectangles in rice flour and cook until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes total, turning once; transfer to paper towels and season with salt
06Combine chipotle mayonnaise and scallions. Top each rectangle with a bit of the mayonnaise, then drape with a piece of raw scallop. Brush or drizzle with honey soy, then garnish with a bit of cilantro and a tiny pinch of salt.

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