Name: Cured Mackerel-Pressed Sushi (鯖寿司)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes: 16
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 quantity of cooked Sushi Rice, cooled to room temperature; 15 g (½ oz) sea salt; soy sauce, to serve; 300 ml (10½ fl oz) rice vinegar (or enough to cover the fillets); 10 cm (4 inch) square piece of kombu (dried kelp); 2 large fresh mackerel fillets, about 150 g (5½ oz) each – ask your fishmonger to fillet and pin-bone it for you; 6–8 shiso (perilla) leaves, optional

Preparation info

Makes:
16

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Japanese Food Made Easy

By Aya Nishimura

Published 2020

About

The central city of Kyoto is located in an inland area. Before transportation systems were developed, it was hard to get fresh fish, such as mackerel. This sushi was born in the days when mackerel needed to be preserved in salt for shipping.

Ingredients

Fresh

2 large fresh mackerel fillets, about 150 g (5½ oz) each – ask your fishmonger to fillet and pin-bone

Method

Salt the mackerel fillets on both sides, place them in a tray and refrigerate for 1 hour. Quickly rinse the mackerel fillets in a bowl of water (the flesh of the fish is delicate, so don’t wash it under running water). Pat the mackerel dry with paper towel.

Place the mackerel fillets in a deep tray and top with the kombu. Pour in enough vinegar so that the fish is just covered. Marinate