Featured Comment:
“I made this as directed and it came out awesome. One of my fave comfort foods, now I know how to cook it myself. Mahalo!”
– Ma’ata
What is Miso Mackerel (Saba No Misoni)?
Saba no Misoni (サバの味噌煮), also known as “saba miso” is a Japanese fish dish consisting of mackerel fillets simmered in a broth made with awase miso paste (mixed miso), fresh ginger, and condiments such as sugar, sake, and mirin.
The fresh ginger and umami-rich broth help balance out the strong flavor of mackerel, not to mention that the saltiness of the sauce pairs perfectly with rice. It’s probably one of the most commonly cooked mackerel dishes in Japan!
You can use saba no misoni to make a Japanese set meal we call “teishoku” (定食).
Teishoku consists of several dishes, usually a main dish of meat or fish served with rice, soup, a side salad and/or pickles. Here is a guide on how to arrange a Japanese-style teishoku meal.
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 a teishoku meal!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Mackerel Fillets: Chub mackerel, blue mackerel, and Atlantic mackerel are the most commonly used in Japan, but other varieties work well too.
- Sake: I always use unsalted drinking sake for cooking. If using cooking sake, adjust the salt content.
- Mirin: I recommend going for “hon mirin” (本みりん) for the most authentic flavour.
- Sugar: Regular sugar is fine, though I recently prefer light brown cane sugar.
- Awase Miso Paste: I recommend using Awase (blended/yellow) miso paste, as it is easy to use. You can also mix equal amounts of red and white miso.
- Fresh Ginger: Sliced and used to mitigate the fishy smell.
- Soy Sauce: If you’re looking for brand recommendations, I’ve put together a guide to soy sauce that you might find helpful.
- Japanese Leek: Cut into 5cm pieces. If you can’t get it, regular leek is completely fine.
- Shishito Peppers: It’s optional, but they add great texture and flavor.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Miso Mackerel at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Choose thick mackerel fillets with skin and bones.
Scoring the skin side about 2mm deep is essential. This helps the heat circulate evenly and ensures the fish cooks properly.
Remember, we don’t flip the fish during cooking for a better presentation and even flavor absorption.
This kind of dish made with boney fish is one of the reasons why Japanese chopsticks are pointier than Chinese or Korean chopsticks. We use the chopsticks to carefully pick out the bones while eating!
Place the scored mackerel in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the fillets to loosen any debris, then quickly transfer them to ice-cold water.
This sudden temperature change stops the cooking process and helps clean the fish without damaging the skin. Gently rub the surface to remove any remaining debris.
In addition, soaking the mackerel in cold water also tightens the mackerel’s flesh and prevents the good flavors from escaping.
After cleaning, dry each fillet with kitchen paper. This prevents any residual water from diluting the flavors in your broth.
In a large saucepan, combine water, sake, mirin, sugar, and sliced ginger. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add the mackerel fillets to the pan, skin side up. Spoon the broth over the top for 1-2 minutes.
Even after washing, blueback fish (青魚), such as mackerel, can still have quite a strong flavor. This characteristic is balanced by using fragrant ingredients such as fresh ginger and spring onion. This will make your mackerel flavorful yet delicate in taste!
Place a drop lid (otoshibuta) over the mackerel and simmer for 10 minutes. Not only does this prevent the surface from drying out, but it ensures even cooking and stops the fish from moving too much, therefore also preventing breakage.
If you don’t have a drop lid, you can make one with baking paper or foil.
Miso paste doesn’t dissolve and needs to be mixed thoroughly. However, this dish doesn’t have so much liquid and thorough mixing might damage the fish.
In these cases, I use a small separate bowl and mix the miso paste with a small amount of broth from the pan (about 2 tbsp) and some soy sauce. You can then pour the mixture straight into the pan and over the mackerel, the thinned out mixture will combine easily with the rest of the broth!
It’s also worth noting that miso paste tends to lose its flavor when cooked at high temperatures or for too long. For maximum flavor, I lower the heat to a simmer and add the miso paste near the end.
Add this mixture to the pan with green onion and shishito peppers.
Continue simmering until the liquid reduces by half. Spoon the broth over the mackerel occasionally to keep it moist.
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 flavor.
So, if you have time, it is worth letting it cool down and then heating it up again to maximize the overall flavor. It also makes this dish a good one to make in advance! But of course this is optional.
Place the mackerel on serving plates with the shishito peppers and a few spring onions. Drizzle some of the miso sauce over the top and enjoy with rice!
FAQ
For Saba no Misoni, I recommend using a sweet “Awase Miso” (also sometimes called yellow miso in English). On the other hand, red miso is not so recommended.
When recipes on Sudachi mention “sake,” they refer to unsalted drinking sake, not the cooking variety. If you substitute with cooking sake, which contains salt, remember to adjust the recipe’s salt content to maintain balance. All Sudachi recipes are crafted using drinking sake. For further insights on using sake in Japanese cooking, including selections and substitutes, explore the Sake 101 post by a professional chef with over 30 years of culinary experience.
I hope you enjoy this Saba no Misoni 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 Fish Recipes
Miso Mackerel (Saba no Misoni)
Ingredients
- 2 mackerel fillets
- boiling water and ice cold water for cleaning
- 150 ml water
- 150 ml sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 20 g ginger root finely sliced
- 2 tbsp yellow miso paste (awase) yellow miso paste
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 50 g Japanese leek (naganegi) cut into 5cm pieces
- 6 shishito peppers optional
Instructions
- First, score 2 mackerel fillets 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 wait for 10 seconds.
- Use tongs to transfer them immediately to the ice cold water and rub the surface to clean them.
- Remove them from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Take a large pan (big enough for the mackerel) and add 150 ml water, 150 ml sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar and 20 g ginger root. Bring to a boil over a medium heat.
- 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.
- Take a small bowl and add 2 tbsp yellow miso paste (awase), 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 2-3 tbsp of 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 50 g Japanese leek (naganegi) and 6 shishito peppers. Pour the miso mixture around the pan.
- Continue to simmer without a lid until the liquid is reduced by half. Spoon the cooking liquid over the mackerel from time to time to stop it from drying out.
- Transfer the mackerel to serving plates with the spring onion and shishito peppers. Pour a generous drizzle of the sauce and garnish with some finely sliced ginger from the pan.
- Enjoy with rice, miso soup and pickles!
I made this as directed and it came out awesome. One of my fave comfort foods, now I know how to cook it myself. Mahalo!
Hi Ma’ata,
Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, it’s one of my comfort foods too!
Yuto