When I first embarked on the study of Japanese, kanji seemed more intriguing than intimidating. I was especially attracted to those characters with radicals (components) that provided clues to their meaning.
For example, the grass radical crowns the kanji for many vegetables, shrubs and flowers, and you’ll see a speech radical for things like opinions and language. When the fish radical is paired with the kanji for spring, the resulting reading is “sawara,” which means Spanish mackerel. The reason is because this fish is at its most luscious in the springtime, prepared teriyaki-style.
Searing (yaki) and then glazing (teri) is a quick way to prepare succulent fish fillets on the stovetop, and oily fishes such as mackerel, salmon and yellowtail are especially well suited to this treatment. I like to keep a jar of the glaze on hand to jump-start cooking on busy days. Since the glaze keeps for a month if refrigerated, you can easily double or triple the quantities — just keep the proportion of ingredients: one part sugar (or other sweetener such as mirin or honey), two parts sake and three parts soy sauce. If you like you can accent the basic glaze with flavors such as ginger (juice extracted from a knob of grated ginger), citrus (zest from lemons and oranges) or garlic (crushed to a paste).
Choose a skillet that can withstand direct, high heat and is just large enough to hold your fillets comfortably. If the skillet is too small, the fish become crowded and will steam rather than sear; if the skillet is too large, the glaze is likely to scorch. I used a 20-centimeter skillet to prepare two fillets.
Resist the temptation to jiggle the skillet or poke the fish as it cooks — exercising gaman (stoic self-restraint) is key to achieving an appetizing sear. Far from a culinary technique alone, gaman is taught as a social skill from an early age at home, in school and across society at large in Japan. In the kitchen, it’s also an essential skill to searing fish and meat properly and frying foods to crispy perfection.
Japanese washoku (traditional cuisine) guidelines for serving food specify a “right” way to arrange fish on a plate. Whole fish are set with the head facing left, tail to the right and belly at front. (A notable exception is karei [righteye flounder], which is plated with the head aptly to the right with the eye facing up.)
When possible, fillets and slices follow the same general “rules” with tail ends facing right and heads facing left. The choice of serving fish skin up or down depends on the cooking method. Typically grilling and broiling produces crispy skin that is plated facing up so diners can enjoy the contrast of crispy skin on top and moist flesh underneath. Simmered or skillet-glazed fish, however, benefits from being plated skin-side down, which makes it easier to eat the meat and leave the bones and soggy skin behind.
Skillet-glazed sawara teriyaki
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
Glaze:
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 sawara fillets, each about 100 grams
• 1 tablespoon sake (for “rinsing” fish)
• 1 teaspoon Canola or other neutral oil
• Optional: lemon or lime slices or wedges
Making the glaze
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, sake and soy sauce and cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mix into a small, heat-resistant glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Label and date: The glaze keeps for up to one month refrigerated.
Rinse the sawara fillets under cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle the fish with your sake (this will remove an excessive odor without unnecessarily marinating your fillets and obscuring their natural flavors), then let it sit for two to three minutes. Blot away any excess moisture with paper towels before searing.
Skillet-glazing fish is a quick process that requires your total attention. It's best to select the dishes you’ll be serving the fish on before you begin cooking and place them within reach.
Place a skillet over high heat and drizzle in the oil. When it shimmers, lay your fish fillets, skin side up in the skillet. Resist the temptation to jiggle the skillet or poke the fish.
As the fish cooks, the edges will become opaque and pale. When the fish edges become slightly crusted and brown (after about three minutes), flip them. Sear the skin side for one minute. If the fish is especially thick (more than 2 centimeters), lower the heat, cover the skillet and cook for about 30 to 40 seconds. Remove the lid, then finish searing for another 30 to 40 seconds.
Pour in the glaze from the rim of your skillet toward the center. Swirl and gently jiggle the pan to be sure the glaze flows around and under all pieces of fish in the skillet. As the glaze reduces, it will begin to get quite foamy.
Keep the pan in motion for another 30 seconds as the fish glazes, then remove the fish from the pan and transfer the fillets to individual serving dishes, flesh side up.
Return the skillet to the stove and, over medium-high heat, stir the leftover juices until foamy and reduced by half; this should take about one minute. As you draw your spatula through the bubbling sauce, a clear path should be visible. Pour a bit of the glaze over the cooked fish, then garnish with lemon or lime, if you like.
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