What is Maguro Zuke Don?
Maguro zuke don (マグロ漬け丼) is a type of rice bowl topped with marinated raw tuna. You can often find it served in teishoku-style restaurants or sometimes Japanese-style pubs we call “izakayas”.
To be honest, this dish is not commonly made at home, even in Japan. However, it’s so straightforward to make, so why not?
There are two popular types of raw tuna bowls: one is “maguro don” (マグロ丼), and the other is called “tekka don” (鉄火丼).
While they look the same to the untrained eye, there are actually slight technical differences between tekka don and maguro don. To be honest, it’s almost never mentioned anywhere, and I didn’t even know until recently, but here are the key differences!
| Tekka don (鉄火丼) | Maguro don (マグロ丼) | |
| Rice | Use sumeshi (sushi rice with vinegar) | Use white rice without vinegar |
| Tuna | Use red part of tuna only | Can use any parts of tuna |
| Toppings | Sauce, wasabi, spring onion…etc | Sauce, wasabi, spring onion…etc |
So basically, the main differences are whether you use sushi rice or regular unseasoned rice and which part of the tuna you use.
They are such small details that many Japanese people also don’t know the difference between the two, but I thought it’s interesting to mention!
With this in mind, if you’re interested in making Tekkadon with homemade sushi rice and different toppings, check out my Tekkadon recipe here.
What Kind of Tuna to Use
As maguro zuke don is made with raw tuna, the most important thing is to use tuna that is fresh and specifically labeled as “sashimi-grade” or “sushi-grade”. Sushi-grade fish is prepared in such a way that it is safe to eat at home raw.
As for which part of the tuna to use, generally, you can use any part. Just keep in mind that if you specifically want to make “tekka don”, you can only use the red part of the tuna. (If you use the pink, fattier parts, then the dish will become maguro don.)
The red part is generally known as “akami” (赤身) and is relatively lean and meaty. It’s one of the most common cuts because there’s a lot of it, and it’s also reasonably priced compared to the other parts.
The fattier parts are known as “toro” and have a melt-in-the-mouth texture. “Chutoro” (中トロ) is the medium fatty part, and “o-toro” (大トロ) is the extra-fatty part from the front of the belly. These parts are usually pinker in color, considered higher grade, and are more expensive too.
If you buy raw tuna in a block, you can cut it into “sashimi style slices” or “cubes,” depending on your preference.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Japanese Maguro Zuke Don at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!
Start cooking your rice. Using a rice cooker is preferred but if you don’t have one, check out my post on how to cook Japanese style rice on the stove.
Burn off the alcohol in the sake and mirin by heating them in a saucepan and letting them boil for 1 minute.
Turn off the heat and add the soy sauce.
Allow the sauce to cool fully before adding the tuna (otherwise, the tuna will start to cook). You can speed up the process by pouring the marinade into a wide container and placing the container over ice/cold water.
Place a small piece of kombu in the marinade, dip each piece of sashimi-grade tuna in the marinade and then lay them flat in the container.
Try and keep the tuna to one layer to ensure they’re evenly coated in the marinade.
Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. You can marinate it longer than this, but be aware that the color of the tuna will get darker as time goes by, and the flavor will get stronger, too. It depends on your preference!
Fill a bowl with rice and arrange the marinated tuna pieces on top. Drizzle about 1/2 tbsp of the leftover marinade over the tuna, and then top with sliced ooba (Perilla) leaves, a blob of wasabi, and an egg yolk or your choice of toppings.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
I hope you enjoy this Maguro Zuke Don recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Donburi Recipes
- Marinated Salmon Sashimi Bowl (Salmon Don)
- Kaisen Donburi (Seafood Rice Bowl)
- Tekka Don (Japanese Tuna Sashimi Rice Bowl)
- Negitoro Don (mashed tuna sashimi bowl)
Check out my Donburi Roundup Post for more Japanese donburi recipe ideas!
Maguro Zuke Don (Marinated Tuna Sashimi Bowl)
Ingredients
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice see how to cook Japanese rice here
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp sake
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 3 g dried kelp (kombu) (kombu)
- 150-200 g sashimi-grade tuna (maguro)
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 pasteurized egg yolk from pasteurized eggs (optional topping)
- perilla leaves (shiso) (shiso/oba) finely sliced (optional)
- wasabi paste see how to make your own wasabi paste here
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Instructions
- Pour 3 tbsp mirin and 3 tbsp sake into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute and then turn off.
- Add 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and swirl around. Transfer to a wide container and allow to cool to room temperature. (You can speed up the process by resting the container of the marinade over a bowl of ice or cold water.)
- Place 3 g dried kelp (kombu) in the marinade.
- Once the marinade is cool to the touch, dip 150-200 g sashimi-grade tuna pieces to coat both sides and then lay them flat (try and keep it to 1 layer).
- Cover with the plastic wrap making direct contact with the tuna and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 mins.
- Once 30 mins have passed, dish up the rice and arrange the marinated tuna pieces on top. Pour ½ tbsp of the leftover marinade over each bowl and garnish with sesame seeds, an egg yolk, shredded perilla leaves and a blob of wasabi (optional).
- Enjoy!
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