søndag den 9. august 2009

mackerel miracle


saba, or mackerel, is one of my favourite things to eat in a sushi restaurant. i love the delicate taste with just a dab of lemon juice or soya. this fish is widely used in korean cuisine but usually served up very salty or fried. in denmark it is served smoked or swimming in tomato sauce. while i enjoy this oily fish in many forms, it's best when kept simple.


unfortunately no sushi restaurants in denmark serve saba. if you know one, do tell! it seems logical that mackerel would sell well since it's inexpensive and plentiful here. however, danes may view it as a poor man's fish as many a student has had makrelsalat in their fridge.


it is very simple to prepare the fish for sushi. gut and rinse, fillet, and rest it in salt with the skin side down for 30 minutes. wash the fillets and then soak them in rice vinegar for 10 minutes. the book says to drain for 30 minutes after that, but the dane and i couldn't wait that long and it taste great anyway. this process magically firms up the flesh! i'm sure we could have gotten some better cuts from the fillet, but it was my first time cutting up a whole fish and i can definitely do a better job next time. i even let out a little yelp when i cut mister mackerel's head off and blood spewed everywhere. the experience really helped me appreciate fish in general and i will never take it for granted again.


the dane also had victoria bars and tuna. the former is not a very good fish for sushi (lots of gristly parts) and the latter i am trying to avoid. anyway we both agreed that it was the most successful sushi night ever! (:

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