Simmered Mackerel in Miso
Mackerel fillets cooked in miso flavoured sauce – this is the best way of cooking mackerel. Simmered Mackerel in Miso is full of flavour and goes so well with rice.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 sides of mackerel fillets (, about 150g each (note 1))
- 2 cups of iced water in a bowl
- 3-4 shallots ((scallions), cut into 5cm long pieces)
- 3 cm cubes ginger (, thinly sliced)
- 80 g (2.8oz) Miso
- 200 ml (6.8oz) water
- 200 ml (6.8oz) sake
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp mirin
- Julienned shallots ((scallions) (note 2))
- Julienned ginger
Instructions
- 1
Cut each mackerel piece in half perpendicular to the backbone (note 1). Make a cross incision (x not +, see step-by-step photo) on the skin side of each piece. This is to cook the fish evenly and let the flavour penetrate into the flesh better.
- 2
Add about 3 cups of water (not in ingredients) to a saucepan or a deep frying pan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put each mackerel piece gently into the boiling water (note 3). As soon as the surface of the fish turns to white, transfer the fish to the iced water to cool down. Then pat dry with kitchen paper.
- 3
Take 2 tablespoons of water from the Simmering Sauce ingredients and mix with the miso in a bowl so that the miso becomes slightly watery (easy to dilute).
- 4
Add shallots, ginger and the Simmering Sauce ingredients, excluding miso, to a shallow pot or a frying pan that can fit all the fish pieces snugly without overlapping. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
- 5
Add fish pieces to the pot/pan without overlapping, place a drop lid (note 4) and cook for 2½ minutes.
- 6
Reduce the heat to medium and remove the drop lid. Add the miso to the pot/pan in swirling motion so that the miso spreads evenly.
- 7
Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not condense the sauce too much as the sauce will become too salty (note 5). Use a ladle and pour the sauce over the fish few times while cooking.
- 8
Turn the heat off and use a spatula to transfer the fish pieces to serving plates.
- 9
Pour some sauce over the fish pieces, sprinkle julienned ginger and place julienned shallots on top if using.