Shime Saba- Japanese cured mackerel
This cured mackerel dish is the precursor to modern day sushi. It’s a deliciously simple, elegant dish and really makes the mackerel sing. Freshness is key here, handline caught mackerel is your best bet, but Scottish mackerel is also a good choice.
Ingredients
- 2 mackerel, filleted and pin bones removed Mixed ratings!
- Fine sea salt
- Rice wine vinegar
- Wasabi and soy sauce, to serve
Lay the mackerel fillets skin side down on a wire cooling rack or bamboo steaming basket. Sprinkle with salt and leave to cure in the fridge. This will draw water from the flesh of the fish, so place the rack on a dish to avoid mess.
After the fillets have cured for an hour, remove from the fridge and rinse them under cold running water to remove any excess salt. Pat them dry and put them in a ziplock bag, or shallow, non-reactive dish. Pour enough vinegar over the fillets, so they’re covered (you won’t need much if you use a ziplock bag and squeeze out the air).
Return the fish to the fridge and leave to marinate in the vinegar for an hour. The acid in the vinegar will ‘cook’ the fish- the flesh should turn from a vibrant red/purple to a dull grey.
Peeling the skin from the fillet
Credit: Jack Clarke
Once you’ve peeled the skin from the fillets, slice them across with a very sharp knife.
If you’re serving this as a starter, go for a fillet per person, sliced into 1cm portions. For a sharing platter, slice them much thinner, more like 3mm and scatter over a large plate.
Serve with soy and wasabi.