Mitasie Part II: Self-Service Grilled Fish

Look into those jalapeño eyes and tell us that you don't want to put this little guy straight into your stomach. If you find that your first impulse is to destroy that bizarre, Muppet-esque cuteness with your teeth, you're in luck! This delicious fish is the main attraction of Mitasie's self-service grilled fish platter and DIY spring rolls!

Read on for the tasty details.

If the whole seven-course beef meet 'n' greet experience à la Pagolac has you feeling left out, Mitasie offers a vegetarian (and way less smelly) alternative to family-style DIY spring rolls. Categorized as a “special dish” on the menu, the self-service grilled fish platter rings in at $13.95 and provides a healthy, flavorful meal for two.

The grilled “fish” is made of soy protein and has a pleasantly smokey flavor in addition to savory seasonings used to dress it up. The texture is a a bit stringier and airy compared to the amazing “fish” we covered earlier at Dong Phuong Tofu, but still works well in combination with the other ingredients.

The whole set up includes a fillet of grilled “fish,” prepared rice vermicelli, peanut dipping sauce, sheets of thin rice paper and fresh herbs. To prepare the spring rolls, take a sheet of rice paper and quickly dip the whole surface into the bowl of warm water supplied for you. Place the moistened sheet on your plate and load it up however you like! Don't shy away from the mint. This makes the spring roll what it is… otherwise you might as well be eating a Vietnamese burrito.

You'll eventually end up with something sort of like this…. hopefully prettier, but you get the general idea. Use the peanut dipping sauce to add a semi-sweet and savory punch to your rolls. The sauce also helps counterbalance the dryness of the vermicelli. If the sweet and savory combo is not your thing you can also request straight-up nước mắm (mixed fish sauce) for a salty and zesty flavor.

The great thing about the self-service grilled fish is that it's fresh, fun to make and you have total control over how your spring rolls come out. You also don't need to spend a thousand dollars buying these ingredients in bulk at the Asian supermarket, navigating the Asian supermarket or being anywhere near the chaos of the Westminster Asian supermarkets' parking lots. Best of all, you won't have to clean up the mess you make after numerous failed attempts at creating the perfect roll. Hurrah!

Mitasie 3

7636 Edinger Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

714-847-5262
Hours:
Mon-Sun
10am-9pm