Goma saba is raw Hakata mackerel with sesame paste, soy and ginger. Served as an appetiser at most Hakata izakaya; an autumn-to-winter classic in fine-dining counters across Akasaka and Yakuin.

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.

Where to eat Goma saba in Fukuoka

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Make it at home

Serves 215 minEasy

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

  1. Grind the sesame seeds coarsely in a suribachi or pestle and mortar; leave some texture.
  2. Whisk the ground sesame with shoyu, mirin, sesame oil and ginger.
  3. Slice the mackerel across the grain into 1cm slices.
  4. Toss the slices gently through the sesame mix to coat. Top with spring onion and yuzu zest.
  5. Serve immediately with white rice or as a counter snack with beer or sake.

Editor tip. Sashimi-grade mackerel from a Japanese counter is essential. Supermarket mackerel will not work; oxidation is the enemy.

Common allergens: Fish, Soy, Sesame.