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Ankimo (Steamed Monkfish Liver)

Name: Ankimo (Steamed Monkfish Liver)
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300 g monkfish liver; 1 tsp salt; 150 ml sake; 150 g daikon; 0.5 tsp chilli powder; 2 scallions; 4 tbsp ponzu

A Japanese delicacy of monkfish liver: rubbed with salt, rinsed in sake, cleaned of its veins, rolled into a cylinder and steamed. Chilled and sliced into rounds, it is served with momiji-oroshi (grated daikon with chilli), scallion and ponzu. The liver is about 40% fat, which is why it is called the foie gras of the sea.

Ingredients

4servings

Steps

Peel off the thin membrane, and use the tip of a knife and tweezers to take out the large veins and any blood spots. It is fine if the liver comes apart into a few pieces.
Rub the salt evenly over it and leave 30 minutes. Moisture will bead out.
⏲ 30 min
Soak it in the sake for 10 minutes, lift it out and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
⏲ 10 min
Lay out a wide sheet of cling film, put the liver on it and roll it into a tight cylinder about 5cm across. Twist and tie the ends, then wrap it again in foil.
Steam over medium-low heat 25-30 minutes. When the middle feels firm when pressed, it is cooked through (steaming).
⏲ 27 min 30 sec
Let it cool in its wrapping, then chill at least 3 hours to set.
⏲ 180 min
Unwrap and slice 1.5cm thick. Plate the slices, top with momiji-oroshi and scallion and spoon the ponzu over.

Variations

Ankō nabe. The liver goes into a monkfish hotpot.
Tomoae. In Shimokita, Aomori, the flesh and the liver are dressed together.
Sushi. Sliced ankimo on gunkan or nigiri.

Tips

Clean out the veins carefully. Blood left in tastes fishy.
Roll it tight in the film. That is what makes the slices round.
Cook it through. Do not eat a fish liver underdone.
Slice it cold and set. Warm, it falls apart.

More detail and the reasons why (1)

A liver that is nearly half fat. Haggis keeps its liver down because long heat makes liver chalky. Japanese Wikipedia says sea bream and tuna livers are dry and the monkfish's is rich, and gives the fat in the liver: sea bream 2%, tuna 3%, monkfish 40%. The reason it gives is that the monkfish lives in the deep sea where food is scarce, so it stores what it eats in its liver as fat and draws on it slowly. So ankimo steams the liver whole for half an hour and slices it like a terrine. It is the same fish as agwi-jjim.