Aji Nanbanzuke (Fried Horse Mackerel in Sweet Vinegar)

Name: Aji Nanbanzuke (Fried Horse Mackerel in Sweet Vinegar)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 2–3
Ingredients: Horse mackerel (aji), filleted From 4 fish (8 fillets); Onion 1/2; Carrot 1/3; Green bell pepper (piman) 1; Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1/4 tsp; Potato starch (katakuriko) 3 tbsp; Vinegar 4 tbsp; Soy sauce 2 tbsp; Sugar 2 tbsp; Water 4 tbsp; Salt 1/4 tsp; Vegetable oil 5 tbsp (about 2 mm deep in the frying pan)

🥗 Lighter 💪 If you exercise

Serves 2–3 · About 40 min (20 min of this is just letting it soak)
Horse mackerel coated in potato starch and shallow-fried, then soaked with vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce. Also tasty chilled.

① Make the dressing→② Cut the vegetables→③ Coat the fish in starch→④ Shallow-fry→⑤ Soak in sauce

What to buy

Fish

Horse mackerel (aji), filletedStores will often fillet whole fish for you at the fish counterFrom 4 fish (8 fillets)

Vegetables

Onion1/2Carrot1/3Green bell pepper (piman)1

Seasonings & dry goods

Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1/4 tspPotato starch (katakuriko)3 tbsp

Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page).

How to make it

Make the dressing

About 3 min

In a deep storage container or a tray (flat container), put 4 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp water and 1/4 tsp dashi granules
Mix well with a spoon

How to tell it's doneWhen you run a spoon along the bottom of the container, no gritty sugar is left.

Cut the vegetables and put them in the sauce

About 5 min

On the cutting board, cut the onion lengthwise into thin slices
Peel the carrot, cut it into 4–5 cm lengths, then into thin 2–3 mm strips
Cut the green pepper in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and stem, and cut into thin strips
Put all the cut vegetables in the sauce from step 1 and mix

How to tell it's doneAll the vegetables are in the sauce (they soften while they soak later).

Coat the fish with salt and potato starch

Salt, then 5 min

Run your finger over the fish. If any hard bones are left, pull them out with fish tweezers or a knife
On the cutting board, cut each fillet into 2–3 pieces
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt on both sides, let sit 5 min, and pat off the water that comes out well with paper towels
Spread 3 tbsp potato starch in a tray and coat both sides of the fish thinly all over

How to tell it's doneThe fish is thinly coated in white starch, with no bare flesh showing.

Shallow-fry the fish

Medium heat2–3 min per side

Put 5 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat (about 2 mm deep)
How to check the oil temperature: put the tip of dry cooking chopsticks in the oil. If tiny bubbles fizz up right away, it is just right (about 170°C). If no bubbles come, it is not hot enough yet
Gently lay the fish in skin side down, from the near side away from you. Do not let pieces overlap. If they do not all fit, cook in 2 batches
Cook without moving for 2–3 min, turn over with cooking chopsticks, and cook 2 min more
Move to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil

How to tell it's doneBoth sides are nicely golden brown. Break the thickest piece open with chopsticks: it is white all the way through, with no see-through parts.

Be carefulIf water is left on the fish, the oil splatters. Pat it dry well in step 3.

Be carefulDo not leave the stove while shallow-frying. If you must step away, always turn off the heat.

Be carefulUsed oil is hot. Wait until it has cooled completely before cleaning up.

Soak in the sauce while hot

20 min or more

Put the fried fish while still hot into the sauce from step 1 (with the vegetables from step 2), and put the vegetables on top of the fish
Let sit like this for 20 min. Turn it over once halfway with a spoon
If you will not eat it right away, let it cool, then put a lid on and keep in the fridge (finish it within about 2 days)

ReadyThe coating on the fish has soaked up the sauce and gone soft, and the vegetables are soft. Serve in a dish with the sauce.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Dashi Katakuriko (potato starch)Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hoso-giri (thin strips)

If it didn't work out

The coating came offYou moved it right after adding it in step 4. Next time, do not touch it until one side is cooked.

OilyThe oil was not hot enough. Next time, add the fish once bubbles come from the chopsticks right away.

Too sourIt did not soak long enough. Let it sit a little longer so the flavors blend. If it is still too sour, use 1 tsp more sugar next time.

The inside is undercookedIt did not fry long enough in step 4, or the fish is thick. Put it back in the frying pan and cook both sides 1–2 min at a time.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me