Saba-zushi
Photo: エコ殿様 · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Saba-zushi traces to medieval Kyoto, when salt-packed mackerel from the Sea of Japan crossed the Saba Kaido (Mackerel Highway) from Obama in Fukui to the imperial capital. The fish arrived just-salted enough to age into a delicacy. Izuju has been pressing saba-zushi opposite Yasaka Shrine in Gion since 1892, and the dish remains the Gion-festival takeaway that locals queue for. Eaten cold from the bamboo wrap, with a slice of kelp pressed under the rice.

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Common allergens: Fish, Soy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 8 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh mackerel fillet, 400g, pin bones removed
  • 60g sea salt, 200ml rice vinegar
  • 300g short-grain sushi rice, cooked
  • 30ml rice vinegar, 20g sugar, 3g salt for the rice seasoning
  • 1 strip kombu kelp (10cm), softened in rice vinegar
  • Pickled ginger, soy sauce, wasabi to serve

Method

  1. Salt-cure the mackerel: bury skin-side up in sea salt for 4 hours; rinse and pat dry.
  2. Marinate the cured fish in rice vinegar for 2 hours, then dry on a cloth-lined plate for another 2 hours.
  3. Season the cooked rice with rice vinegar, sugar and salt; cool to body temperature.
  4. Lay the kombu strip on a sushi mat, then the mackerel skin-side down, then a long log of seasoned rice.
  5. Roll tight in the mat, press for 30 minutes under a 1kg weight to compact.
  6. Slice into 1.5cm thick pieces with a wet knife; serve with pickled ginger, soy and wasabi.

Tip from the editors. Use the freshest mackerel you can find; the salt-cure and vinegar do the rest of the work. Day-old fish gives a brackish saba-zushi.

Where to eat saba-zushi

Saba-zushi in Kyoto

Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Kyoto. See where to eat Saba-zushi in Kyoto or the Kyoto signature dishes guide.

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