Miso-Simmered Spanish Mackerel
さわらの味噌煮（小麦なし） · Sawara no Misoni
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Sawara, or Spanish mackerel, is a soft, mild-tasting fish - in Japan its kanji is written with the character for "spring," the season it is most associated with. Here it gets the classic misoni treatment: a sweet, savory miso sauce with a little ginger that takes the edge off any fishiness, which is exactly what makes fish easier for small children to enjoy. The fish is dusted in rice flour and baked before it goes into the sauce, so it stays tender and the sauce thickens into a glossy coating that kids happily spoon over their rice.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce and miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow them, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
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 preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.5 gSpanish mackerel (skinless, boneless)
Seasonings
- 3.8 gjoshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour)Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- 54 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.
- 2.1 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.
- 1.4 gsugar
- 1.4 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.
- 0.4 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.
- 0.7 gsoy sauce
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- joshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour) (上新粉)
- Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- 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.
Directions
- 1
Coat the fish in joshinko and arrange the pieces on a baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes.
- 2
In a pot, combine the dashi stock, miso, sugar, sake, ginger, and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
- 3
Once the sauce from step 2 is boiling, add the fish, cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta), and simmer.
- 4
To finish, keep simmering while spooning the sauce over the fish until it thickens and coats the pieces. After plating, pour the remaining sauce over the top.
Coating the fish in flour (here, joshinko rice flour) and baking it first softens any fishy smell and gives a tender result. In step 3, adding the fish before the sauce is boiling can bring out a fishy taste, so always bring it to a full boil first.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 135 kcal | 270 kcal | 135 kcal |
| Protein | 14.3 g | 28.5 g | 14.3 g |
| Fat | 6.8 g | 13.5 g | 6.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.9 g | 9.9 g | 4.9 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 24 mg | 12 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 379.5 mg | 759 mg | 379.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 135 kcal | 14.3 g | 6.8 g | 4.9 g | 0.2 g | 0.6 g | 12 mg | 0.8 mg | 379.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 270 kcal | 28.5 g | 13.5 g | 9.9 g | 0.3 g | 1.2 g | 24 mg | 1.5 mg | 759 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool 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
You might also like
All recipes →
Nizakana (Simmered Fish)
Chicken Nanbanzuke (Sweet-Vinegar Marinated Chicken)
Salmon Nanbanzuke (Fried Salmon in Sweet Vinegar Sauce) (Wheat-Free)
Buri Daikon (Simmered Yellowtail and Daikon) (Wheat-Free)
Tangy Simmered Chicken (Wheat-Free)
