History
Goma saba came from Hakata's Genkai Sea fishing tradition, where bonito-grade mackerel is rare-tossed with sesame paste, soy, mirin and ginger. The dish was first written about in late-19th-century records but only spread nationally with the Hakata izakaya boom of the 1980s. It is a winter and shoulder-season dish; the mackerel must be the freshest possible. Toriden, Kawataro and the Yatai stalls all run a version. The dish exports nervously: mackerel oxidises fast and goma saba does not travel well outside Kyushu.
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Common allergens: Fish, Soy, Sesame
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g sashimi-grade mackerel fillet
- 30g toasted sesame seeds
- 20ml shoyu
- 10ml mirin
- 10g ginger, finely grated
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 5ml sesame oil
- Pinch of yuzu zest
Method
- Grind the sesame seeds coarsely in a suribachi or pestle and mortar; leave some texture.
- Whisk the ground sesame with shoyu, mirin, sesame oil and ginger.
- Slice the mackerel across the grain into 1cm slices.
- Toss the slices gently through the sesame mix to coat. Top with spring onion and yuzu zest.
- Serve immediately with white rice or as a counter snack with beer or sake.
Tip from the editors. Sashimi-grade mackerel from a Japanese counter is essential. Supermarket mackerel will not work; oxidation is the enemy.
Where to eat goma saba
Goma saba in Fukuoka
Kawataro Nakasu Honten ★ 4.1
Live-tank Yobuko squid ikizukuri across three river-view floors. Goma saba mackerel and seasonal Genkai sashimi platters are the supporting acts.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipThe Yobuko squid is market price. Lunch courses run 4,500 yen and up.
Hakata Mizutaki Toriden Honten ★ 4.6
Toriden's mizutaki course is single-product fine dining: home-bred Kyushu chicken simmered six to seven hours into a creamy yellow broth, with golden ponzu.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipTENJIN course at 6,600 yen per person is the most-ordered entry; the premium course adds more chicken cuts.
Mizutaki Ryotei Hakata Hanamidori Tenjin ★ 4.3
Single-product mizutaki room in Imaizumi using the Hanamidori chicken raised on seaweed-and-herb feed at the operator's own northern Kyushu farm.
Book1 week ahead
TipWeekend lunch is the easier entry; weekday dinner takes a day or two ahead.
More cities are in research. Want goma saba covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.