Saba Shioyaki with Grated Daikon and Ponzu

⏱ 25 min · Serves 2

Salt-grilled mackerel at its simplest and best: crisp, blistered skin, rich smoky flesh, and a cool mound of grated daikon with ponzu to cut through it all. Twenty minutes from fridge to table, and it tastes like a Tokyo izakaya.

Per serving: 560 kcal · 33.0g protein · 45.0g carbs · 27.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 mackerel fillets (about 140g each), pin-boned, skin on
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp neutral oil (for the tray or pan)
• 150g daikon radish, peeled
• 2 tbsp ponzu (or 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 tsp shichimi togarashi, optional
• 300g cooked short-grain Japanese rice, to serve

Method

1. Pat the mackerel fillets very dry with kitchen paper. Brush the flesh side with the sake, then leave 5 minutes and pat dry again — this removes any muddiness.
2. Sprinkle the salt evenly over both sides, using slightly more on the skin. Rest for 10 minutes at room temperature; blot off any beads of moisture that appear.
3. Meanwhile, finely grate the daikon on a fine grater. Tip into a sieve and let it drain, then squeeze very gently — you want it damp, not dry. Chill until serving.
4. Heat your grill (broiler) to its highest setting with a lightly oiled foil-lined tray, or heat a non-stick pan over medium-high with the oil.
5. Grill skin-side up, 8–10cm from the element, for 6–8 minutes until the skin is blistered, deep golden and the flesh flakes easily. No turning needed. If pan-frying, cook skin-side down 4 minutes, pressing lightly, then 2 minutes flesh-side down.
6. Plate each fillet with a mound of grated daikon alongside. Pour the ponzu over the daikon, scatter spring onion and shichimi, and add a lemon wedge.
7. Serve immediately with hot rice — mix a little daikon and ponzu into each bite of fish.