Task 1: I like that the tiny diver can confirm that she is truly a Real Big Fish.
Although let's be completely honest, we know what her fish form
really looks like:
Task 2: 58
Task 3: Fish dreamed often in her fish form. She dreamed of fish; she dreamed she was a fish; she had fish dreams.
But rarely did she have fish
nightmares, which was what she thought was happening now. In her fatfish form, even in dreams, she was keenly aware of the predators around her. Lots of things, herself included, wanted to eat fish- but the thing in her vision threw no shadow. Light filtered through it, wavy and distorted, even moreso than normally experienced underwater. It was only when she backed away and looked up at it curiously that the distortion’s outline come together. It was the biggest, fattest fatfish she’d ever seen; or rather, not seen, as it was completely translucent. Visible out of the corner of one’s eye, sort of; not the kind of thing you could really touch.
She knew- or she thought she knew- what was happening. This had to be a ghost, right? The collective ghost of all the fish she’d ever eaten, all the fish she’d ever taught kin to catch- all the fish whose lives had been cut short by her in one way or another.
And this ghost… it wasn’t really out for revenge, she thought. Fish didn’t think like that. Fish were like water- they went with the flow. They accepted things for what they were, and didn’t think on the past. It was a simple way of living; while they did learn things, and remembered their experiences, they certainly didn’t dwell on them. This fish ghost wasn’t coming for her for any specific reason; she was simply there.
In her small-finned, rounded form, she wasn’t escaping it. She knew what was coming; she knew she would be swallowed up by the ghost. But she wasn’t actually swallowed. Rather, she was absorbed, just another fish in this composite of… fish… spirits…
Or was that it? Was this not actually a roiling mass of ghosts but simply one enormous spectral creature, bending the light the way terrestrial spectrals did? She’d seen spectral caimans, spectral eagles, spectral bats, spectral hounds and wolves, turtles, cheetahs, cranes, even a foxbun once- who was to say that there was no such thing as a spectral fatfish? There were more things in the heavens and earth than are dreamt of in kin philosophy; perhaps there was room in this world for a massive spectral fish.
And now she was
inside of it. How strange! It felt… thicker in here, like submerging your hoof in mud… but thinner than mud. Thinner than tar. Slime, perhaps? Yes, the inside of this thing felt like being suspended in slime. That kind of made sense. Fish had a slime coat on the outside; perhaps that was what was inside the spectral fatfish. Perhaps that was what was in all spectrals. She’d never experienced one from inside; she wasn’t even sure if they were really alive or if they were spirits or what.
It was cold in here, too, colder than the water outside. This was unusual; Fish knew that fish were cold-blooded, and the temperature inside of a fish was usually pretty similar to the water temperature outside. That's why they steamed when you gutted them in winter; even if the water felt frigid, it was still usually warmer than the air. But this fish was the opposite. Perhaps it was because it was spectral... or perhaps it was because this was all a dream.
Something tugged at her tailfin, making a wretched schlorping noise. The spectral fish was moving on without her; the water rushed in its wake, tugging her out. The current pulled her up; the light told her that soon wakefulness would be upon her. Would she remember the spectral fatfish of her dreams? Probably. She always remembered stories where she caught a fish this big; why wouldn't she remember a story where she got caught
by a real big fish? (651 words)
Task 4: Fish likes her fish cooked really simply; just roast 'em if you have to cook them at all. But if you
aren't a swamp-touched goat with a cast-iron stomach, perhaps you'll like this recipe for miso black cod!
You will need:
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup white miso paste
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
OR
1 cup Trader Joe's miso ginger broth if you, like me, are lazy.
4 black cod (also called sablefish) fillets
Kosher salt
Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (I like avocado)
Directions:
Step 1: Make the marinade. Combine the sake and mirin in a saucepan and bring to a boil on high. Let boil for 20-30 seconds to evaporate off some of the alcohol, but don't let it boil off too much more than that. Bring the heat to low and add in the miso paste and sugar, and whisk until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Or just use the TJ's broth, that's where I got this recipe in the first place and then found out
that recipe is TJ's dupe of the home version of the Nobu recipe, which is what this is.
Step 2: Marinate the fish. Pat the fillets dry and place in a ziplock. Add the marinade and make sure the fish is coated. The original recipe said you should refrigerate for 2-3 days but that seems way too long for me- I usually just do it in the morning and then pull it out to cook that night.
Step 3: Cook the fish. There's three ways to do it: Broil, stovetop sear/bake, or grill. Whichever you choose, first pull the fish from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Sprinkle on a little salt.
Cooking option 1: Broil (I have never done it this way): Turn on your broiler and put a rack 6-8 inches from the broiler. Cover a wire rack with aluminum foil, then fit onto a baking sheet and coat the foil with cooking spray. Place the fish skin-side down (or smoother side down if skinless) in a single layer on the foil. Broil, checking every few minutes and rotating the baking sheet as needed, until the fish starts to flake and the top is dark golden brown and charred in spots (it's okay if the marinade that drips onto the foil burns), 8 to 12 minutes. I've never done this because my broiler is
not trustworthy, but you can do it if you want.
Cooking Option 2: Stovetop Searing and Baking. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke. Place the fish skin-side-up (or smoother side up if skinless) in the pan, making sure the fillets don't overlap. Cook until the bottom of the fish starts to blacken in spots- this only takes like 2-3 minutes. Use a fish spatula and carefully flip, you don't want to break your fillets. Continue cooking until the second side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, usually takes 5 to 10 minutes more.
Cooking Option 3: Grill (my favorite)
Oil up the grill and heat it until Temperature Hot (around 400-450 degrees, you grill with your heart anyways.) Place fish skin-side up, or smooth side up if skinless. Cook until the fish starts to go opaque, then use the fish spatula and flip. This should take about 2 minutes, maybe a little longer if your grill runs cold. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the skin side, then kill the heat. Flip one more time so it's back on the original side and close the grill so that the residual heat finishes the fish. (You don't have to do the second flip if you have skinless fillets, but you do want the skin side up when you close the grill if you do have skins so that the skin gets uber crispy without burning.)
The important thing to remember: This recipe serves 4, so cut down the marinade if you want fewer fillets. Also, do not overcook the black cod! It's super buttery if you don't overcook it, and you don't want to lose the texture! Braised baby bok choi makes an excellent side dish.
Task 5: 
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