Crispy and juicy chicken tail skewers, seared over very high heat and seasoned with a veil of sea salt to reveal the melting richness of this prized izakaya cut.
Ingredients
- 600 g fresh free-range chicken tails
- 3 tbsp Japanese cooking sake (ryorishu)
- 1 tsp artisanal fine sea salt
- 1 piece untreated lemon
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend)
Method
- Soak your bamboo skewers in cold water for about thirty minutes so they withstand the heat of the grill without blackening.
- Prepare the chicken tails: locate the uropygial oil gland situated at the top center of each tail, appearing as two small yellowish vesicles, then slice carefully with the tip of a paring knife to remove them completely without tearing the meat.
- Split each tail in two along the small central cartilage to obtain even, flat pieces that are easy to cook uniformly.
- Thread the tail pieces tightly onto the bamboo skewers, alternating the direction to yield dense, even skewers that are easy to handle.
- Preheat your grill, charcoal barbecue or cast-iron grill pan over very high heat until the surface is piping hot.
- Lightly spray or brush Japanese cooking sake on all sides of the skewers to hydrate the skin and tone down any strong odors.
- Sprinkle the fine sea salt evenly and from high up on both sides to create a consistent mineral coating.
- Place the skewers on the hot grate. Let grill untouched for three to four minutes, until the fat crackles intensely and the skin becomes deeply browned and blistered.
- Flip the skewers and continue cooking on the second side for three to four minutes. Move them slightly if dripping fat creates flare-ups to avoid charring the skin.
- Plate immediately on a hot serving dish with the untreated lemon wedges and serve the shichimi togarashi Japanese seven-spice blend on the side.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 189.5 kcal
- Protein
- 35.49 g
- Carbohydrate
- 3.89 g
- Fat
- 2.41 g
- Fibre
- 1.15 g
- Calcium
- 3.3 mg
- Iron
- 0.04 mg
- Magnesium
- 2.37 mg
