Kukicha Citrus Pacific Sole Recipe

“This marinade can be used with any tea and ingredients you desire. The beauty of cooking with tea is that you can learn the basics and implement them into your favorite recipes. I used the first infusion for the marinade and I drank the second. This recipe is full of rich UMAMI!”

—Susana Mojica

Ingredients:

The Kukicha Marinade:
2 tablespoons of Rishi Tea Organic Kukicha green tea
8 ounces of water
1 orange
1 lime
1 lemon
grated ginger (to taste)
¼ cup of chopped cilantro
1 sliced jalapeño
3 sprigs of green onion, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

1 pound and a half of wild caught Pacific Sole fillets
1 ½ cup of shiitake mushrooms
½ cup of oyster mushrooms
1 red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons of butter
2 cups of water
1 cup of brown rice
dash of salt

Instructions:

Set oven to 350° F

Step one:  Make kukicha green tea

• Boil water (212° F)
• Let water cool to 185° F
• Use 2 tablespoons of tea for 8 oz of water. 
• Steep 2–3 minutes
• Pour tea into bowl

Step two: Make kukicha marinade

• Squeeze juice of 1 orange, 1 lime and 1 lemon into Kukicha
• Grate a piece of ginger (to taste)
• Add chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and sliced jalapeño
• Add a dash of salt and pepper
• Set aside half a cup for mushrooms and bell peppers
• The remaining marinade is for the fish

Step three: Prepare rice

• Bring two cups of water to a rolling boil
  
• Add one cup of rice and bring to a simmer
  
• Cover and cook for 20–30 minutes depending on rice
  

Step four: Bake fish

• Place cleaned fish in shallow baking dish
  
• Add a dash of salt and pepper to each fillet
  
• Add marinade to each fillet
  
• Cover and refrigerate. Marinade for thirty minutes.
  
• Lay each fillet on a greased, flat baking sheet
  
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is opaque

Step five: Sauté vegetables

• Melt butter and add chopped garlic
  
• Sauté garlic, and then add mushrooms and bell peppers 
  
• Sauté for two minutes then add remaining marinade
  
• Cook for an additional three minutes

Pair this dish with 2007 Sustainable White wine from Mendocino County, CA by Parducci, the first carbon neutral winery. Sustainable White has crisp clean aromas and flavors of citrus and tropical fruit, which complemented the rich creamy taste from the Kukicha and the spiciness of the ginger and jalapeño.