Hokkaidō · 45 min · Fish · Main course · For confident cooks
Ikameshi
In German: Gefüllter Tintenfisch mit Reis · In English: Miso-glazed squid stuffed with rice
For 2 servings · US units
Squid and rice: tender tubes stuffed with rice, finished with a glossy miso glaze
Ikameshi comes from Hokkaidō and tucks a whole meal inside the squid: small tubes are filled with rice, gently steamed and finished with a savoury glaze of miso, sake and mirin. Cut into thick slices, each piece shows the rice framed by a pale ring of squid, and it tastes just as good warm as it does cold from a bento box.
Ingredients
- 4small tubes, approx. 80–100 g each; tentacles, innards and cartilage removedA ten-armed cephalopod with firm, mild flesh that stays tender only when cooked very briefly or for a long time.Substitute: Cuttlefish is the closest substitute, with thicker, firmer flesh that needs slightly longer when cooked quickly.Read more
- 7 ozricecooked, for the filling; pilaf or fried rice also works
- 2 tbspfor the glaze, preferably red misoA fermented paste of soybeans, salt and often rice or barley: salty, savoury and deep in flavour.Substitute: Soy sauce supplies salt and savouriness, but neither the body nor the rounded, faintly sweet depth of the paste; it will do at a pinch in soups and marinades, but not in glazes and dressings, where miso provides body. Light and dark miso can stand in for each other if you use the dark one more sparingly.Read more
- 2 tbspfor the glaze; a little extra for steaming in the panJapanese rice wine, used in cooking mainly to round out flavours, tame fishy notes and add umami.Substitute: Dry sherry or Chinese Shaoxing wine come closest but bring their own stronger flavour; mirin is not a substitute because it is distinctly sweet.Read more
- 2 tbspfor the glazeSweet Japanese rice wine for cooking that gives sauces and glazes a mild sweetness and shine.Substitute: Sake or dry sherry with some sugar, about one teaspoon per tablespoon, comes close; sweetness and shine are roughly right, but the rounded, slightly malty depth of mirin is missing.Read more
- 2spring onionsfinely chopped, for the glaze or as garnish
- 1 tbspoilfor frying
- saltto taste
- green, as a bed for serving (optional)Aromatic leaves of a Japanese herb in the mint family, fresh and spicy, somewhere between mint, basil and anise.Substitute: There is no true substitute, because the aroma is unique. A mix of fresh mint and basil captures the freshness but not the spicy, anise-like note; Korean perilla leaves come closer but taste coarser and more sesame-like, and are tougher in texture.Read more
Method
- Clean the squid tubesClean the squid tubes: pull out the tentacles, innards and the clear cartilage, rinse the tubes thoroughly inside and out, and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
- Mix the miso glazeFor the glaze, stir the miso, sake and mirin together in a small bowl until smooth and free of lumps. Mix in the finely chopped spring onions, or set some aside for scattering over at the end.
- Prepare the rice fillingHave the cooked rice ready for the filling; if you're using pilaf, let it thaw first. Season the rice with salt and pepper.
- Loosely stuff the tubesFill the tubes only loosely with the rice so they don't split while cooking, since squid shrinks as it heats. Close each opening with a toothpick.
- Brown the tubes in the panHeat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the filled tubes lightly on all sides, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes. You can also grill them instead.
- Deglaze with sake and steamAdd a splash of sake, cover the pan straight away and steam the tubes over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the squid is cooked through and the filling is hot.
- Glaze the tubesTake off the lid, brush the tubes with the miso glaze and keep cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, turning them, until the glaze has thickened and turned glossy.
- Slice and servePull out the toothpicks, let the tubes rest briefly and cut them into thick slices. If you like, arrange them on green shiso leaves and scatter over the remaining spring onions.
Tips and variations
Teriyaki sauce works well in place of the miso glaze, with chopped peanuts on top and a ponzu and ginger dip on the side. For a bento box, you can stuff the tubes with frozen fried rice straight from the freezer, steam them in the pan with sake or white wine, and eat them cold. For something heartier, fill them with minced pork, glass noodles and shiitake and bake them in the oven, or fry them in butter and season with soy sauce. To serve, lay the slices cut side up on the shiso leaves so the filling shows.
Allergens
Contains: Soybeans, Molluscs
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
