Nizakana (Simmered Fish)
煮魚（小麦なし） · Nizakana
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Nizakana, fish simmered in a lightly sweetened soy sauce broth, is one of the great staples of Japanese home cooking, and it turns up on preschool lunch menus all the time. Here we use Spanish mackerel, a soft, mild white fish that flakes easily on a small spoon, and season it gently with dashi, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and mirin so the sweet-savory sauce is something children happily spoon over their rice. One little trick from the preschool kitchen: the fish is dusted in joshinko rice flour and baked briefly before it goes into the sauce, which takes away any fishy smell and keeps the pieces from falling apart while they simmer.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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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 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
- 2.1 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).
- 67.5 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.
- 0.3 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.
- 1.4 gsugar
- 2.4 gsoy sauce
- 1.4 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
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.
- 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.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Directions
- 1
Dust the fish with joshinko, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes.
- 2
Combine the dashi stock, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and mirin in a pan and bring to a brief boil.
- 3
Arrange the fish in the sauce, cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta), and simmer until the fish has taken on the flavor.
- 4
Plate the fish and spoon the simmering liquid over the top.
Dusting the fish with joshinko and baking it first removes any fishy smell and helps the pieces hold their shape instead of falling apart while they simmer.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 127.5 kcal | 255 kcal | 127.5 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 27.9 g | 14 g |
| Fat | 6.6 g | 13.2 g | 6.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 10.5 mg | 21 mg | 10.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 384 mg | 768 mg | 384 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 127.5 kcal | 14 g | 6.6 g | 3.9 g | 0 g | 0.5 g | 10.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 384 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 255 kcal | 27.9 g | 13.2 g | 7.8 g | 0 g | 0.9 g | 21 mg | 1.2 mg | 768 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
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