This 20-minute miso mackerel recipe only requires 5 ingredients, and it tastes really similar to the one I had in Japan. I’m glad it’s easy to buy frozen mackerel in the UK and I’ll show you where to buy a good one.
Where to Buy Frozen Mackerel in the UK
Miso Mackerel Video Recipe by a Japanese Chef
That’s What I Ate in Japan!
First, back in Japan, we ate a lot of mackerels! I love it being an oily fish, and the bones have usually been removed, you just need to add some salt and grill it. Simple and tasty! And in the restaurant, for a midday ‘Teishoku’ (定食), you’ll often see ‘Saba no Misoni’ (サバの味噌煮) as the main. It’s a dish of mackerel simmered in a miso broth and leek, quite a comfort food especially in winter.
Where to Buy Frozen Mackerel in the UK
And you know what? The good news is I can buy frozen mackerel in a supermarket called Iceland in the UK. It’s budget friendly, 3 packs of selected frozen seafood costs only £10. (Waitrose also sells frozen mackerel, just more costly)
A Small Cooking Note Before You Cook
1) If Using Mirin
You can add 60 ml of mirin, reduce the water and sake both to 200 ml, and omit the sugar.
2) Can I Use Japanese Cooking wine?
In the above video, the chef doesn’t recommend using Japanese cooking wine (料理酒), because it has salt and hence the fish can become too salty.
Miso Mackerel Video Recipe
Ingredients
Serves: 2
- 2 frozen mackerel
- 1 leek, thickly sliced
- 20 g ginger, sliced
- 200 ml water
- 200 ml sake/white wine
- 50 g miso
- 1 tsp sugar
How to Make Miso Mackerel
- Defrost: Defrost the mackerel in the fridge in advance.
- Quick blanch: Put mackerel in boiling water for 3 seconds to remove the raw fish smell, then leave it in cold water and remove some dirt. Pat dry.
- Prepare the soup: Put water, sake/white wine, ginger, leek(white parts) , miso and sugar(if using) into a deep frying pan or wide pot. Dissolve the miso a bit and add the mackerel.
- Lid on: Cover with a ‘Otoshibuta’ (落とし蓋). (I used a thick cooking paper)
- Simmer: Bring to boil with medium heat, then turn to medium low heat. Let it simmer until the liquid reduce to half.
- Add green leek: Remove the ‘Otoshibuta’, add the remaining leek(green parts) and cook for 3 mins more, and it’s done!
Side Note: THE Cooking Paper
Finally, I want to share this little kitchen helper with you.
This is a very useful kitchen paper(maybe I should call it a towel) which I bought in Japan. It’s made of non-woven fabric, so it can’t be torn apart easily.
Japanese like to use this thick kitchen paper(or foil) as a ‘Otoshibuta’ (落とし蓋) , rather than a solid lid, to reduce the liquid slowly to make the broth richer.
Currently, I can’t find one in the UK yet. If you get a chance to go to Japan, you can buy it here, 中川政七商店.
