Key Ingredient Aaron Mooney Marinates Fish In Shio Koji

The Chef: Aaron Mooney (Webster’s Wine Bar)The Challengers: Carlo and Melvin Vizconde (Kai Zan)The Ingredient: Shio koji

Mooney used the shio koji to replace salt in an Asian-inspired dish: hamachi tartare with brined vegetables and sake-marinated citrus tobiko (flying fish roe). Because shio koji makes proteins caramelize faster, he says, he decided to serve the fish raw. He marinated it in a mixture of equal parts shio koji, lime juice, and olive oil for 15 minutes, explaining that he used the lime juice “to add a bright acidity and not so much of a sour acidity [from the shio koji].” The citrus tobiko that he soaked in sake and sprinkled on the marinated fish also contributed to the brightness of the dish.

Mooney has challenged Greg Bastien of the Winchester to create a dish with pumpkin seed oil. He says the oil is “superintense, superbitter, and has a really great flavor when used in little amounts, so I wanted to see how he could make it the star ingredient.”