Tinned Uni Miso over Cuttlfish Ink Vermicelli
When a fellow #canatic gifted me a generous tin of premium sea urchin roe, I noodled long and hard over the best way to showcase their briny beauty. The result: a new, original recipe for a blended sauce of bright red uni and white miso paste folded into homemade cuttlefish ink vermicelli, topped with minced chives and a healthy dose of crunchy, smoked trout-infused bread crumbs. The result is a dish that looks both tempting and like a bundle of sea-kelp you might inadvertently reel in from the pier while casting a line. It tastes a bit like the latter, too. If I could pick one word to describe its flavor, I’d have to go with oceanic. So, if you’re a fan of all things briny, this here plate’s for you.
9 egg yolks
3 tbs water
1oz packet of cuttlefish (or squid) ink
1 tbs EVOO
3 tbs cold water
1 tin sea urchin roe in brine
170g ap
55g semolina
Heel of day-old hearty bread
2 tbs neutral oil from tin of smoked trout
Medium shallot (minced)
2 tbs fresh ginger (minced)
4 garlic cloves (pressed)
2 tbs avocado oil
2 tbs unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tbs mirin
2 tbs white miso paste
1 tbs chives (minced)
Whisk the cuttlefish ink into the cold water until diluted. In a stand mixer use the mixing paddle on low to combine the AP and semolina flour. On low-medium, slowly drop in the egg yolks one at a time until incorporated, then drizzle in the EVOO followed by the inky water. When well-combined, transfer to a well-floured countertop and knead for five minutes until the dough is smooth and buttery. Flatten into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and set in fridge for thirty minutes. [dough recipe adapted from @marcvetri’s basic egg-yolk dough].
Remove from fridge and cut into four equal pieces. Set your well-floured pasta machine to 0 and roll a piece through twice before changing the setting to 1 and repeating. Dust with more flour as needed throughout the process and repeat through settings 2, 3, and then repeat the whole process with the remaining three pieces. If using a rolling pin, roll to 1mm thickness.
Using your well-floured vermicelli attachment, cut the pieces one-by-one and immediately toss with flour, breaking up and gently shaping into a loose nest and placing on a well-floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining three sheets and nest separately. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Cut the bread into half-inch pieces and toast in oven at 350 for ten minutes until dry but not yet browned. Blitz in blender or food processor into small bread-crumb sized pieces of your desire. Heat a small skillet over high flame and add smoked trout oil. Add the bread crumbs and stir constantly until they take on a golden-brown color. Remove from pan and reserve in bowl for later.
Heat up a large pot of pasta water, but do not salt it. There is enough salt in this dish from the uni and miso and we’ll use the starchy water to thicken the sauce later.
As water comes to a boil, heat a large pan or dutch oven (large enough to accommodate sauce and cooked pasta) over medium heat. Add avocado oil, shallot, ginger, and garlic and saute until softened and translucent but not yet browned. Reduce flame to medium-low. Add rice wine vinegar and stir until reduced and incorporated. Repeat with mirin. Whisk in miso paste then stir, cooking for about a minute.
Open tin of uni and remove a ½ tsp of choice tongues per plate and set aside. Add pasta to boiling water and gently move with spider or tongs to separate. Cook until the pasta floats and swells and is al dente (about 30-60 seconds). As pasta cooks, ladle in about a half-cup of pasta water to the saucepan and turn heat to medium-high. Add the uni and brine from the tin and stir until incorporated.
Add the pasta to the sauce and gently mix until glossy sauce forms and coats the vermicelli. Plate in your favorite bowls, top with the spare uni tongues followed by the breadcrumbs, and finally the minced chives.
Enjoy!
Serves 4
