fluke crudo with buttermilk basil dressing
continuing the seafood counter series
Episode 15 in my Seafood Counter series involves, well, not cooking seafood at all. If you know me, you know I love raw fish in all forms. Sushi, sashimi, crudo, aguachile, I love it all.
So, it was only natural that I had to do a raw preparation at some point in this series. In full transparency, I generally prefer my raw fish to be salmon or tuna or scallops. However, I never turn down a good fluke crudo. It also feels like something you can only order at a restaurant, but its truly so easy to make at home!
The dressing uses buttermilk and basil oil to create a ranch-adjacent flavor, but with more freshness and lightness for the fish. Feel free to play around with this and use different herbs!
the full recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 pound fluke, sushi-grade (or another sushi grade fish of your choosing)
1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)
1/4 cup neutral oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Small squeeze of lemon juice (less than 1/2 of a lemon)
1/2 small cucumber, thinly sliced
chili crisp for garnish
Tools
Blender
Fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth
Steps
Bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil. In a bowl, prepare an ice bath with ice cubes and water. Drop 1 cup of basil leaves into the boiling water and blanch for about 30 seconds. Remove from the water and immediately drop into the ice bath to stop the cooking.
Once cool, remove the basil. Wrap it in a towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add the blanched basil to a blender along with 1/4 cup neutral oil. Blend until smooth and incorporated.
If you have a cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour the basil oil mixture into it, then squeeze and let it strain the green oil out. If you don’t have a cheesecloth, use a fine mesh strainer to extract the oil.
*I used two fine mesh strainers in order to get a cleaner result*
Make the dressing by adding 1/4 cup of buttermilk to a container. Then, whisk in 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and a dash of MSG (optional). Slowly pour in the basil oil. Squeeze in a small amount of lemon juice. Use a spoon to gently stir. Ideally, you want a “split” dressing, where it looks white with green spots throughout.
Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the fluke into flat strips, slicing at a 45º angle.
Arrange the cucumbers and thinly sliced fluke onto your serving plate. Carefully pour the buttermilk basil dressing around the fish, trying not to cover it. Drizzle any remaining basil oil. Drizzle a spoonful of chili crisp on top. Serve chilled and enjoy!
In order to slice the fish more easily, place it in the freezer for a few moments before slicing. This will make it more firm and easier to slice.
Although buying sushi-safe fish is generally without concern, always check for any parasitic worms, especially in flat fish such as fluke. Believe it or not, they’re pretty easy to spot — they look just like a tiny worm. If you do find a worm, it is perfectly safe to simply cut away the piece that contained the worm and continue to consume the rest. However, most people don’t want to eat anything that has touched a worm.
If you don’t have a cheesecloth, use two fine mesh strainers stacked on top of one another to extract the oil. This will create a finer mesh, leaving fewer basil particles in the oil.
Fluke - Any sushi-safe fish is great in this recipe. Something leaner is preferred to go with the sauce. Something like yellowtail, hamachi, scallop (hotate), or lean tuna make great options.
Basil - While I think basil offers the freshest flavor for the herb oil, any green herb can work. I think dill, chives, or cilantro would be a great option here!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it, please comment below or tag me on social media!