Saba No Misoni is a classic Japanese fish dish made with mackerel fillets simmered in a delicious miso based sauce. The mackerel is tender and flavourful, it's simple to make and goes perfectly with rice and pickles.
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Saba No Misoni
Saba no misoni (サバの味噌煮) is a classic homecooked dish made with mackerel simmered in a delicious miso and ginger sauce. When translated directly, the dish is called "Mackerel Simmered in Miso".
The fresh ginger and umami-rich miso paste help balance the flavour of the strong flavour mackerel, not to mention that the saltiness of the sauce pairs perfectly with rice. It's probably the most commonly cooked mackerel dish in Japan!
Misoni Sauce
While miso and ginger are the most important ingredients in misoni, that's not all there is to it! We add other ingredients to make the sauce rich and flavourful, such as:
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Sake
- Mirin
- Miso paste (I use awase/yellow miso for this recipe)
- Ginger
Other popular mackerel dishes in Japan
There are many other Japanese mackerel dishes such as:
- Deep fried mackerel (鯖の竜田揚げ)
- Pickled deep-fried mackerel (鯖の南蛮漬け)
- Teriyaki mackerel (鯖の照り焼き)
- Grilled mackerel（鯖の塩焼き）
- Pickled mackerel (締め鯖)
Believe it or not, mackerel is one of the most popular fish to eat in Japan!
Teishoku
You can use saba no misoni to make a Japanese set meal we call "teishoku" (定食).
Teishoku always consists of a main dish of meat or fish served with rice, soup, a side salad and/or pickles.
Japanese style teishoku meals are always full of variety. There are lots of small components so it feels nutritious and never boring. I always feel happy and satisfied after eating teishoku!
Tips and tricks to make an amazing Saba no misoni at home
Seeing as this is one of the most popular washoku dishes to make at home, there are a lot of tips and tricks to share!
Here are some simple tips you can use.
Thick mackerel with bones in
The mackerel fillets should be thick with the skin on for this dish. It's also common for the bones to still be inside.
Not only does this stop the fish from breaking while it's simmering, but good flavour from the bones adds umami to the broth.
Pour boiling water over mackerel
It is always important to clean the fish before cooking, otherwise an unpleasant fish odor can affect your broth.
In order to remove any unpleasant fishy-ness, be sure to pour boiling water over the mackerel and then transfer it to ice cold water.
The hot water loosens any dirt or blood on the fish, then the cold water cools it down quickly so that it doesn't start to cook and you can freely rub the skin to remove any debris. In addition to this, soaking the mackerel in cold water also tightens the mackerel's flesh and prevents the good flavors from escaping.
Use ginger and spring onion
Even after washing, blueback fish (青魚) such as mackerel can still have quite a strong fishy flavour.
This characteristic is balanced by using fragrant ingredients such as fresh ginger and spring onion. This will make your mackerel flavourful yet delicate in taste!
As for the size, I recommend to cut the spring onions into 5cm (2 inch) pieces and the ginger into 1mm thick slices.
Using otoshibuta (Japanese drop lid)
When we simmer delicate fish, we often use a Japanese cooking called called an "otoshibuta" or "drop lid". Not only does this prevent the surface from drying out, but it ensures even cooking and stops the fish from moving too much thus also prevents breakage.
You can learn everything you need to know about drop lids including how to make otoshibuta with baking paper here.
Allow to cool and then slowly reduce over low heat
I mentioned this technique in my nikujaga recipe, but allowing the dish to cool down after it has been cooked develops the umami and richness of the sauce resulting in the maximum flavour.
So if you have time, it is worth letting it cool down and then heat it up again to maximize the overall flavour.
Step by step recipe
Mackerel Simmered in Miso (サバの味噌煮)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
How to make classic Japanese Saba no Misoni (Mackerel Simmered in Miso).
Ingredients
- 2-3 mackerel fillets
- Boiling water and ice cold water for cleaning
- 150ml water
- 150ml sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 small piece fresh ginger finely sliced
- 2 tbsp awase (yellow) miso paste
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 50g spring onion cut into 5cm pieces
- 6 shishito peppers (optional)
Instructions
- First, score the mackerel with a cross on the skin side, about 2mm deep. The cut should pierce through the skin and lightly cut the flesh inside.
- Place the scored mackerel into a heatproof bowl and set a bowl of ice cold water next to it.
- Pour freshly boiled water over the top of the mackerel and after 10 seconds, use tongs to transfer it to the ice cold water.
- Rub the surface of the mackerel fillets to clean them, then remove them from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Take a pan and add 150ml water, 150ml sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar and the finely sliced ginger. Place on a medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Once the liquid is boiling, lower the heat to simmer and place the mackerel into the pan with the skin side facing up.
- Spoon the cooking liquid over the skin of the mackerel for about 1-2 minutes and then place a drop lid on top.
- Simmer for 10 minutes with the drop lid.
- Take a small bowl and add 2 tbsp miso paste, 2 tsp soy sauce and some of the hot cooking liquid from the pan. Mix well, you should have a loose miso mixture. (If it's too thick, add more liquid from the pan.)
- Remove the drop lid and add the miso mixture, cut spring onions and shishito peppers.
- Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Transfer the mackerel to serving plates with the spring onion and shishito peppers.
- Garnish with a generous drizzle of the sauce and the finely sliced ginger from the pan.
- Enjoy with rice, miso soup and pickles!
Notes
This recipe also works well with other kinds of blueback fish such as as sardines or horse mackerel.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Fish
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Japanese
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