Blowfish Tenzaru Soba

I haven’t had a chance to break out my bento boxes lately but decided to TREAT MYSELF today with blowfish tempura and soba. This style of soba, tenzaru, is eaten cold, with a small teacup or bowl of soba soy sauce (mentsuyu), and delicious and crispy tempura on the side. Usually served with wasabi, grated daikon, and scallions, you dip the noodles in the broth before eating. It’s a popular summer dish and a great way to deal with an abundance of blowfish.

This is one of those northern atlantic blowfish years where they swarm the waters on the south shore of Long Island and you pull them up as quickly as you can drop a line down. They are voracious and aggressive eaters, with delicious tender, flaky white meat that holds well to frying and stews. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, they are one of the few puffer species that don’t have toxins (although it is still advised to stay away from the organs.)

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, more for dusting the fish
• 1 pinch salt
• ice cubes
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• About 40 puffer filets (20 blowfish)
• Soba, dried
• Water (for boiling soba and mix with mentsuyu)
• Mentsuyu/Soba Tsuyu (equal parts mirin, kombu bonito dashi, soy sauce if you’d like to make a simple version of your own)
• Wasabi
• Grated Daikon
• Sliced scallions

1. Heat the oil—it’s ready when you drop a few pieces of batter in and creates fast and small bubbles. 
2. Combine the corn starch, flour, salt, water, and ice cubes.
3. Dust the blowfish filets with corn starch and dip in the batter. Fry until golden brown.
4. Set on paper towel to keep them crispy.
5. Boil the soba according to the directions and quickly drain and rinse in ice water when done.
6. Serve with wasabi, grated daikon, mentsuyu, scallions, and tempura!