Broiled Salt Mackerel Recipe

We recently moved to the Los Angeles area and have been enjoying the excellent Japanese food here. One of my favorite dishes has always been Saba Shio (salted, grilled mackerel). Although it’s not quite the same as cooking on a professional grill in a Japanese restaurant, broiling at home comes pretty close. The challenge is to find fresh mackerel, but the frozen ones sold at Japanese or Asian grocery stores are a fine substitute.

Broiled Salt Mackerel Recipe

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 blue mackerel, approximately 1 1/3 pounds
• Garlic salt
• Soy sauce (low sodium)
• Lemon wedges or sliced tomatoes

Equipment

• Chef’s knife
• Broiler pan
• Aluminum foil

Method

• If necessary, gut and clean the fish. This is one of the necessary skills in cooking and is easy to learn. (Optional) Cut off the head.
• Cut 1/4-inch deep slashes on both sides of the fish, at 1-inch intervals. Put it in a plastic or other pan. Splash a bit of soy sauce over the fish. Rub salt all over the fish, including the insides. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat the broiler (high setting) oven with the broiling rack in the middle position. Put a grate (lined with aluminum foil) over a pan. Slightly oil the grate with olive oil or butter. Heat it for about 5 minutes.
• When the pan is hot, place the fish on the rack.
• Broil. Turn the fish once, about half-way through cooking, about 10 minutes. Some of the skin may burn slightly and the fish should be opaque.
• Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before serving.

Serve with steamed white rice. If you like, garnish with lemon wedges. I prefer sliced tomatoes. It complements the saltiness of the fish.

The splash of soy sauce and the use of garlic salt instead of regular salt are Theresa’s excellent variations on the theme. Thank you. I think they work quite well.

Enjoy!

Adapted from: Salt-Broiled Mackerel, By Mark Bittman, The New York Times