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BAM 40: Ikura Don (Salmon Roe Rice Bowl), Shitake and Green Onion Osumashi and Salad.

BAM 39: Teriyaki Chicken, Okara salad, Daikon with Chirimen jyako and Rice.

BAM 38: Shake (Salmon) Rice, Satoimo and shimeji miso shiru, hiyayakko with komatsuna and salmon skin daikon oroshi

BAM 37: Sui-gyoza 3 (3 of 3)

BAM 36: Sui-gyoza 2 (2 of 3)

BAM 35: Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing, Suigyoza Soup, Eggplant and Bell Pepper Miso Stir fry and Rice

Matsutake Gohan

BAM 33: Yakiniku, Kimchi, Kimchee, Soy Bean Soup and Rice

BAM 32: Wafū Pasta 3: Sansai (Mountain Vegetable) Pasta

BAM 31: Nasu no Tuskemono (Fast and Easy), Turkey Hijiki Niku Dango (Meat Ball), Negitama (Egg and green onion) Miso Soup and Rice

Cooking Perfect Stove Top Japanese Rice (Update)

BAM 30: Okonomiyaki (American-Kitchen)

BAM 29: Okonomiyaki (Buta Tama) (Easy Breezy)

BAM 28: Classic Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki (Buta tama)

BAM 27: Hiyashi Chuka

BAM 26: Southern-Japanese Build-a-Meal featuring Fried Chicken with Umeboshi Honey Dipping Sauce, Tofu Macaroni Salad and Okara Cornbread

BAM 25: Vegan Build-a-Meal Nagaimo Pancake, Lemon Daikon, Myoga and Red Potato Miso Soup and Rice.

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Saba no Shioyaki (Mackerel)

Sunday, June 13th, 2010
It's about time I posted something on grilled fish. This Build a Meal is probably the most typical Japanese meal thus far. This meal is something that could be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner. You don't necessarily have to use saba (mackerel) but I chose it because it's one of my favorite grilled fishes and there aren't as many bones as some other popular grilled fish like Sanma (Mackerel Pike/Pacific Saury)

There are a few ways you can grill your fish. The best of course would be to grill your fish on a stick over some hot coals near a river and then drizzle some soy sauce over it. Mmmmm I probably saw that on some soy sauce commercial. But realistically, you're probably only going to have a stove, oven, or toaster oven to work with. Japanese stoves usually have a nifty built in fish grilling pan (kinda like a mini broiler) that give the fish a nice charred color. If you're anywhere but Japan, you're more than likely not going to have one so I came up with a method using a toaster oven. If you don't have a toaster oven and you have a broil setting on your oven you might want to try that, but I figure it's kinda a lot of energy to waste heating up an entire oven for two little pieces of fish.

The second method I use to grill my fish is on a frying pan. Mackerel skin is delicate and usually tears easily so I like to use a small piece of parchment paper and line the frying pan first. If you use this method, fry the skin side down first for about 3-5 minutes on med-low heat and flip and fry for about 3 minutes on the other side.

Ingredients (Servings 2)
1-2 teaspoon(s) of salt
2 pieces of mackerel
vegetable oil
2-3 tablepoons of daikon oroshi. Also see Daikon.
Splash of soy sauce or yuzu ponzu.

1) Prepping your fish: Wash your fish with water and pat dry. Salt the fish on both sides and put back into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This helps to get rid of some of the fishiness since mackerel tends to be on the fishy side. If you're sensitive to the fishy smell you can also sprinkle with some sake along with the salt and let it sit longer than 30 minutes.
2) Use the crumb tray that your toaster oven comes with and fill it with water. This helps to keep the fish from drying out.
3) Lay the rack on top and coat it with vegetable oil.
4) Lay your fish diagonally on the racks with the skin side up.
5) Set your toaster oven on broil and cook on the lower rack for 7 minutes.
6) Transfer to the higher rack and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until the skin starts to bubble and char.
7) Leave the fish on the higher rack and flip them and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
8) Serve with daikon oroshi on the side and add a splash of soy sauce or yuzu ponzu to it. Garnish with a lemon wedge or lemon slice.

Wash your saba and pat it dry. Rub salt on both sides and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Saba no shioyaki-salted

Fill the crumb tray with water and coat the rack with vegetable oil.
Saba no shioyaki-oven toaster

Lay the fish on the rack skin side up.
Saba no shioyaki-in the toaster oven

Start it out on the lower rack.
Saba no shioyaki-bottom rack

The fish should look like this after moving it up to the higher rack and cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Saba no shioyaki-bubbly skin

Flip the fish and cook for 4 more minutes.
Saba no shioyaki-flip

Saba no shioyaki served!
Saba no shioyaki-served

tags: Mackerel 
I really shouldn't come here... ;-) After I have read your post I ran into my cellar(have a huge refrigerator there) in search of mackerel.I knew, I should have some. Now it is defrosting, I will start cooking in about 1 hour, I'm so hungry now... Your fault. ;-) I always sprinkle some sake on it, because it is really a fishy fish.But tastes good,it is also nice cooked with umeboshi.
— Amatō/Wagashi Maniac, August 28th, 2010
I made the fish, it was FANTASTIC!!!! You are the best! I already tried a different recipe, and it wasn't good at all,this one was for the oven and whole fish was very dry, not good at all.Since then I didn't like this dish, but now I'm very thankful about your recipe.(you see, I'm in love ;-)) Your recipe, it is sooo tasty, I used the pan/cooking paper method.The skin was crispy and a dream. I will cook this dish tomorrow again, I think. I had it together with cucumber with umeboshi dressing. Now I have one last question: what means BAM? I somehow don't get it... Oh, now I got it... "build a meal" . I should open my eyes.;-)
— Amatō/Wagashi Maniac, August 29th, 2010
Tag List
tags (categories)
Soy Sauce [25]
Dashijiru [23]
Rice [19]
Daikon [14]
Egg [14]
Vegan [13]
Sesame Seed Oil [12]
Katsuobushi [11]
Chicken [11]
Kyuri [9]
Shiso [9]
Mayonnaise [8]
Miso [8]
Tofu [8]
Shoga [8]
Sake [8]
Cabbage [7]
Garlic [7]
Beef [7]
Vegetarian [7]
Pork [6]
Miso soup [6]
Vinegar [6]
Mirin [6]
Age [5]
Umeboshi [5]
Carrots [5]
Carrot [5]
Green Onion [5]
Hakusai [5]

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