Japanese · Lunch · Dinner
Mackerel Simmered in Miso
鯖の味噌煮 (Saba no Misoni)
Tender mackerel fillets gently simmered in a glossy ginger-miso sauce, a comforting Japanese home-style dish that pairs perfectly with steamed rice and greens.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 15% · Fat 53% · Protein 32%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 fillets (about 120 g each)Mackerel fillets, skin on
- 1 thumb-sized piece (about 5 cm)25 gFresh ginger
- 3/4 cup180 gWater
- 1/4 cup60 gSake
- 2 tbsp36 gMirin
- 1 tbsp12 gSugar
- 3 tbsp54 gMiso paste
- 1 stalk15 gSpring onion
Steps
- 1
Pat the mackerel dry and cut each fillet in half crosswise.
- 2
Score a shallow cross into the skin of each piece so it does not curl.
- 3
Put the fish in a colander and pour boiling water over it briefly to remove any fishy smell, then pat dry.
- 4
Peel the ginger and slice half of it thinly; cut the other half into very fine matchsticks and soak them in cold water.
- 5
In a wide shallow pan, combine the water, sake, mirin, sugar and ginger slices and bring to a boil.
- 6
Place the mackerel skin side up in the pan in a single layer.
- 7
Cover with a small lid or a circle of baking paper resting on the fish and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- 8
Ladle a little of the liquid into a bowl, whisk in the miso until smooth, then stir it back into the pan.
- 9
Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish, until the sauce thickens and the fish flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F.
- 10
Thinly slice the spring onion.
- 11
Serve the mackerel with the sauce, topped with the drained ginger matchsticks and spring onion.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use salmon fillets instead of mackerel for a milder flavour, simmering until the fish flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F.
- Replace the sake with an equal amount of water or low-sodium dashi to cut back on alcohol; for a fully alcohol-free dish, also use a mirin-style seasoning labelled alcohol-free, since regular mirin contains alcohol.
- For a gluten-free version, choose a miso labelled gluten-free and a sake and mirin labelled gluten-free, since some miso is made with barley.
- Swap the sugar for 1 tbsp honey, adjusting to taste because honey is a little sweeter.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover fish and sauce in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot. The fish is at its best fresh, and freezing is not recommended because the texture can turn dry and crumbly.
Make ahead
Slice the ginger and mix the water, sake, mirin and sugar up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Cook the fish just before serving for the best texture.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: FishSoy
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (216 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 324 kcal | 150 kcal |
| Protein | 24.3 g | 11.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.3 g | 5.2 g |
| of which sugars | 6.4 g | 3 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 17.5 g | 8.1 g |
| of which saturated | 4.1 g | 1.9 g |
| Sodium | 615 mg | 285 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
