Shioyaki Mackerel (Salt-Grilled Mackerel)

Name: Shioyaki Mackerel (Salt-Grilled Mackerel)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Mackerel fillets (boneless, raw) 2 fillets; Daikon radish 3 cm (about 100 g); Salt 1/2 tsp; Soy sauce 1 tsp; Parchment paper Big enough to line the frying pan

🥗 Lighter 💪 If you exercise

Serves 2 · About 30 min (15 min of this is just letting it sit after salting)
Mackerel fillets sprinkled with salt and pan-fried until the skin is crispy. Served with grated daikon.

① Salt and let sit→② Score the skin→③ Grate the daikon→④ Cook→⑤ Serve

What to buy

Fish

Mackerel fillets (boneless, raw)If it says "shio saba" (salted mackerel), don't add the salt in step 12 fillets

Vegetables

Daikon radish3 cm (about 100 g)

Check what you already have

Salt1/2 tspSoy sauce1 tspParchment paperNot food, but you need itBig enough to line the frying pan

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

How to make it

Salt and let sit 15 min

15 min

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt (for 2 fillets) on both sides of the mackerel and leave 15 min
Wipe off the water that comes out with paper towels, on both sides

How to tell it's doneThere's no water on the surface of the mackerel.

Score the skin

1 min

Put the mackerel skin-side up on the cutting board
With a knife, make 1–2 diagonal cuts about 5 mm deep in the skin (this keeps the skin from shrinking and splitting when cooked)
After scoring, wash the cutting board, knife and your hands with dish soap (because the grated daikon in step 3 is eaten raw)

How to tell it's doneBoth fillets have cuts in the skin.

Make grated daikon

About 5 min

Peel the daikon and grate it with a grater
Put it in a strainer and lightly drain the water

How to tell it's doneYou have enough grated daikon to make a small mound with a spoon.

Cook skin-side first

Medium → Medium-low heatSkin side about 4 min, flip, about 4 min

Line the frying pan with parchment paper and lay the mackerel skin-side down (no oil needed)
Put over medium heat. When it starts crackling, turn to medium-low heat and cook about 4 min
When the skin is nicely browned, flip with a spatula and cook about 4 min

How to tell it's doneBreak open the thickest part with chopsticks: it's white and not see-through all the way through, with no reddish see-through parts.

Be carefulMackerel is fatty and splatters while cooking. Keep your face away. Before turning on the heat, check that the paper isn't sticking out of the pan.

Put it on a plate with the grated daikon

Heat off

Turn off the heat and put the mackerel on a plate skin-side up
Add the grated daikon on the side and pour 1 tsp soy sauce over the daikon

ReadyIt's done when the skin is crispy.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)

If it didn't work out

The skin came off and stuck to the paperYou moved it before it browned. Next time, wait about 4 min on the skin side without touching.

Too saltyYou salted shio saba (salted mackerel), or used too much salt. Next time, use less salt in step 1. Don't add salt to shio saba.

The inside is undercookedThe fillets were thick. Put on the lid and cook over low heat 2 more minutes at a time, then break open to check.

It smells fishyYou didn't wipe off the water that came out in step 1. Next time, wipe both sides well.

Was this recipe helpful?

This site is free with no ads. If you like, you can support it with a tip.

☕ Send a tip Choose how many cups. Everything stays free to read.

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