Sakamushi Fish (Steamed Fish in Sake)
Sakamushi (酒蒸し, seamed in sake) is a very authentic Japanese dish and is sometimes served in kaiseki-ryori (multi-course haute cuisine). White-fleshed fish is steamed in plenty of sake (酒, Japanese rice wine). It’s such a simple method of cooking fish but the flavour is amazing. This will make you feel like you are having a dish at a high-class restaurant! Prep time is long but the majority of time (1 hour) comes from the time leaving the fish after salted.
- Prep time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 2 ocean perch fillets (, 90g each, skin on with small bones removed (Note 1))
- 1/2 tsp salt ((note 7))
- 4 pc 5cm/2" square konbu ((kelp))
- 80 ml (2.7oz) sake ((Japanese rice wine, note 7))
- 500 ml (17oz) hot water boiled to 95C/205F
- 500 ml water
- 4 thin stems of broccolini (, cut into half lengths)
- 4 shimeji mushroom stems ((Note 3))
- Ponzu ((Note 4))
Instructions
- 1
Cut each fillet into two equal pieces. Make cross slits in each fillet where the flesh is the thickest.
- 2
Sprinkle with the salt on both sides of the fillets and leave them for 1 hour.
- 3
Combine sake and konbu sheets into a small bowl and leave for at least 30 minutes.
- 4
Place the konbu sheets onto a plate which you will use in the steamer. Try not to overlap each konbu. Do not discard the sake.
- 5
Place the fish fillets into a separate deep pan or a bowl. Gently pour the boiled water from the side of the bowl. The filets will start becoming white, ie. blanching. Imeediately after adding the boiled water, quickly add the cold water to reduce the temperature of the water in the bowl (to stop the cooking).
- 6
Remove the fillets, removing scum from the blanching in the bowl. Pat dry the fillets with a paper towel. Place each fillet on a konbu sheet, without overlapping the fillets.
- 7
Pour the sake over the fish ensuring that each fillet is covered with sake.
- 8
Turn the steamer on high. Once water is boiling and steaming, place the plate of the fish on the steamer. Steam for 5 minutes, with a lid on. (Note 5)
- 9
Add vegetables around the fish, place the lid back on and steam for a further 2 minutes.
- 10
When done, remove the plate from the steamer. Place two cooked konbu sheets, then two fillet pieces onto a serving bowl or a plate. Arrange half of the broccolini and shimeji mushrooms on the side of the fish. Repeat the same for another serving.
- 11
Pour sake juice left on the steaming plate over the fish (Note 6). Serve immediately with ponzu.