Miso-Simmered Mackerel (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】サバの味噌煮【オカフーズ版】 · Saba no Misoni
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Saba no misoni, mackerel simmered in a sweet miso sauce, is one of the great standbys of Japanese home cooking, and it shows up on school lunch menus all over Japan. This is the elementary school version built around frozen mackerel fillets (the Okafoods brand we use at school), which go into the pot straight from the freezer with no thawing at all. Simmering gently in dashi, miso, sugar, sake and a touch of ginger tames the fish's strong flavor, and a light potato-starch thickening makes the sauce cling to every bite, so kids happily eat it over rice. Letting the fish cool in the pot afterward is the quiet secret: that is when the flavor really soaks in.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.2 gfrozen mackerel
Seasonings
- 27.8 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 2.3 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 1 gsugar
- 1 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 0.6 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.6 gsoy sauce
- 0.3 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 1.4 gwater
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Make the dashi stock and let it cool.
- 2
Put the miso, sugar, sake, ginger paste, soy sauce and dashi stock in a pot, then add the frozen mackerel straight from the freezer, skin side up. Set over low heat and, once it comes to a boil, simmer for about 5 minutes.
- 3
Cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta) and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Turn off the heat and drizzle in the potato starch dissolved in water. Return to low heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
- 5
Turn off the heat and leave the mackerel to cool in the pot so it soaks up the flavor.
Note: The amount of dashi stock will vary with the size of your pot and how much you are making. Add just enough dashi to come about halfway up the mackerel fillets.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 153 kcal | 306 kcal | 153 kcal |
| Protein | 14.3 g | 28.5 g | 14.3 g |
| Fat | 11.4 g | 22.8 g | 11.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 7.5 mg | 15 mg | 7.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 153 kcal | 14.3 g | 11.4 g | 0 g | 0.6 g | 7.5 mg | 0.9 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 306 kcal | 28.5 g | 22.8 g | 0 g | 1.2 g | 15 mg | 1.8 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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