Marinated Mackerel Sushi

Name: Marinated Mackerel Sushi (Saba-zushi)
Yield: Makes about twelve
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 40 ml/8 tsp rice vinegar; 200 g/7 oz/1 cup Japanese short grain rice; shoyu, to serve; 20 ml/4 tsp caster (superfine) sugar; 5 ml/1 tsp salt; 500 g/1¼ lb mackerel, filleted; rice vinegar; 2 cm/¾ in fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated, to garnish; salt

Saba-zushi

Preparation info

Makes about
twelve

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Japanese Cookbook

By Emi Kazuko and Yasuko Fukuoka

Published 2024

About

Fresh mackerel fillets are marinated, then packed into a mould with sushi rice to make Saba-zushi. Start preparations 8 hours in advance to allow the fish to absorb the salt.

Ingredients

500 g/1¼ lb mackerel, filleted
salt
rice vinegar

Asia
Japan
Fish course
Pescatarian

Method

Place the fillets skin-side down in a flat dish, cover with a thick layer of salt, and leave them for 3-5 hours.
To make the su-meshi, put the rice in a large bowl and wash in plenty of water, until it runs clear. Tip into a sieve and leave to drain for 1 hour.
Put the rice into a small, deep pan with 15 per cent more water, i.e. 250ml/8fl oz/1