Japanese Simmered Fish Recipe (Sakana no Nitsuke)

By Sudachi · 35 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt over both sides of the 200 g fish fillets and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the 20 g ginger 2 mm thick and set out a bowl of ice water.
2. After 10 minutes, pat the fish completely dry with paper towels. Make a shallow cut in the thickest part of the side that will face up, and one cut on the underside.
3. Cool freshly boiled water to about 80°C (176°F) by adding roughly a quarter its volume of tap water. Put the fish in a bowl, cover with a drop lid or plate, pour the hot water slowly over the lid, and stir gently with chopsticks right away.
4. When the skin tightens and the surface turns whitish, drain the hot water immediately and move the fish into the ice water. Scrape off any blood, slime and white scum with a spoon, then dry the fish well with paper towels.
5. In a saucepan, combine 150 ml water, 150 ml sake, 3½ tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sugar and the sliced ginger. Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
6. Lower the fish into the boiling sauce skin side up. Reduce the heat, cover with the drop lid and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Remove the drop lid. Add 3 tbsp koikuchi soy sauce in three portions, spooning sauce over the fish and waiting for each addition to blend in before the next.
8. Put the drop lid back on and simmer over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes more (7 to 8 minutes in total for fillets). Meanwhile, bring water with a little extra salt to a boil in a second pot, cut 50 g of your chosen green vegetable into 5 cm pieces, boil for 1 minute, then move to cold water.
9. Test the thickest part of the fish with a bamboo skewer; when it slides in easily, remove the lid and reduce the sauce over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, spooning it over the fish. Lower the heat as the bubbles enlarge and thicken.
10. Turn off the heat when about one-third of the starting sauce remains, the bubbles have changed and the sauce looks glossy and slightly thick. Taste, and add soy sauce a little at a time if more seasoning is needed.
11. Plate the fish, top with the ginger, and spoon over a little of the remaining sauce. Squeeze the greens dry, place them beside the fish and serve immediately.

Summarized from Sudachi's video. Watch it for the details.

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