Miso-Glazed Shrimp

The Green Room, Dallas.

At this arty restaurant (The Green Room) in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas, improvisation is the order of the day. “You get the best things off the top of your head,” says sous chef Suzan Fries. That’s how she came up with this delicious dish, which executive chef Marc Cassel was only too happy to put on the menu. Although the combination of lightly cooked shellfish in a Japanese miso-paste glaze and nutty, sepia-toned Wehani rice strikes an Asian note, the accompanying butter-cream sauce—chunky with leeks and garlic and snappy oriental five-spice powder—is a hybrid that refuses to be classified. When flavors mingle so beautifully, though, categories don’t count. The Green Room, 2715 Elm Street, Dallas. Phone: (214) 748-7666

Shrimp and Miso Glaze
1 yellow onion, sliced
vegetable oil for sautéing
1 tablespoon miso paste (available at Asian markets)
1⁄2 tablespoon sambal chile paste
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 to 6 drops sesame oil
24 to 36 shrimp (16–20 per pound size), peeled, tails on

Sauté onion in oil over medium heat until a dark, rich brown. Put onion and next 4 ingredients in a blender and purée.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, lightly sear shrimp in oil over medium heat. Remove to an oven-proof pan. Brush upper side of shrimp with miso glaze and finish cooking in oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just opaque.

Wehani Rice
1⁄2 yellow onion, finely diced
vegetable oil for sautéing
1 cup uncooked Wehani brown rice, rinsed
2 cups water or chicken stock
3⁄4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1⁄2 cup shelled pistachios, roasted

Sauté onion in oil over medium heat until tender. Add rice and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Do not peek or stir. Allow to sit 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Add pistachios just before serving.

Five-spice Leek Butter
1⁄4 yellow onion, finely diced
1 leek, white part only, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
vegetable oil for sautéing
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄4 cup light cream
1⁄2 pound unsalted butter, cut in chunks

Sauté onion, leek, and garlic in oil over medium heat until just tender. Stir in five-spice powder. Add wine and reduce until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Add cream and reduce by two-thirds. Lower heat and whisk in butter in small batches. The sauce should look creamy; do not allow to separate. To serve, place some rice in middle of each plate with shrimp on top and sauce around edge. Serves 4 to 6.