So I fricken love hamachi kama. I used to always look for it on the menu at sushi restaurants because nothing can beat a nice grilled piece of yellowtail collar with a lot of lemon on the side. The flesh is succulent, falls apart at slight pressure, and any salt you add to it only enhances the flavor. Sunday morning, after Mike had already gotten our weekend ritual of Dunkin'* for breakfast, I jumped out of my seat and ran to the kitchen. You see, I'd bought the hamachi kama at the Lobster Place in Chelsea Market before the weekend and was worried it had gone bad.
Fear not, (I did), the fish was fresh and smelled like... mostly nothing. I like that in a fish that I'm about to consume.
My normal dealie with the kama is to place it in a cast iron pan with olive oil and butter in the bottom so the skin gets extra crisp and fabulous. Then I dump it unceremoniously into a bowl so that I can eat in front of my keyboard and pour the rendered oils over the entire lot.
Notice the tots made a one time only appearance. I normally eat this plain with a whole lemon to squeeze on every bite.
recipe if you can call it that
- one piece hamachi kama (yellowtail collar)
- plenty of salt
- olive oil/butter
Heat the oven to 350ish degrees and place your hamachi kama, skin side down, into a pan just large enough to hold it. Pour a splash or three of olive oil over the top and into the pan and add a pat of butter in the bottom because I said so. Get your tastiest, flakiest, semi coarse salt and sprinkle it liberally over the whole thing.
Place in the oven and cook till it sizzles that it's done at you.
*I do tots and an iced tea/coffee, he does an everything bagel with cream cheese and two donuts.
