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

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

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