Sanma no Kabayaki

Ingredients

• 2Pacific saury (sanma)whole fish, filleted and cut into pieces
• 2 tbspsoy saucefor the sweet-savory glaze
• 2 tbspmirinfor the glaze
• 1 tbspsugarfor the glaze
• 1 tbspsakefor the glaze
• 2 tbspFlourfor dusting the fillets
• 1 tbspOilfor pan-frying
• 1 pinchsaltto lightly season the fillets
• sansho peppersprinkled on before serving (optional)
• 1 tspsansho berry tsukudanigreen sansho berries simmered in soy, mixed into sauce or rice (optional)
• shichimi togarashifor heat, in the sauce or sprinkled over (optional)
• 10½ ozricecooked, warm, as a donburi base (optional)
• 4shiso leavescut into thin strips, for garnish (optional)
• 1green onioncut into pieces, briefly cooked in the sauce (optional)

Method

1. Fillet the fishFillet the saury into three pieces, meaning two fillets and the backbone, and discard the bone. Halve the fillets or cut them into pieces about 4–5 cm long.
2. Salt and pat drySprinkle the pieces lightly with salt and let them sit for a short while. Carefully pat away any liquid that comes out with paper towels.
3. Dust with flourDust the fillets all over with a thin layer of all-purpose flour and tap off the excess.
4. Mix the sauceFor the sauce, stir the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake together in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Pan-fry the filletsHeat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and lay in the fillets over medium heat, flesh side down, that is, the inner side that faced the belly, with the skin facing up. This follows the principle of "Umibara Kawase", by which sea fish is cooked belly side first. Once that side is golden brown, turn the pieces and fry the skin side until golden brown too.
6. Remove the excess fatPour off the rendered fat and any excess oil, or soak it up with paper towels, so the sauce will cling properly later.
7. Reduce the sauceTurn the heat down, pour the sauce into the pan and let it reduce slightly. If you like, add the Japanese leek, cut into pieces, at this point and let it cook briefly in the sauce.
8. Glaze the filletsTurn the fillets in the thickening sauce until they are glossy and glazed all over.
9. Plate and servePlate the fish, drizzle it with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with ground sansho pepper if you like.

Tips and variations

For a donburi, lay the glazed fillets on warm rice and pour the sauce over; thin strips of shiso on top go nicely with it. Instead of pan-frying, you can also grill or deep-fry the fish and reduce the sauce separately in a small pot. If you have time, salt the fillets the day before and let them rest in the fridge overnight. Other ways to make it: ponzu in place of soy sauce and sugar, potato starch instead of flour with skinless fish and a little pepper, shichimi togarashi in the sauce for heat, or a little dashi powder in the sauce along with sansho berry tsukudani and Japanese leek cooked in the sauce. Leftovers are good folded into tamagoyaki, too.