Anger Burger

“Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.”

-adage often attributed to     supermodel Kate Moss

Yes well, I think we can agree that Kate Moss has never been faced with a plate of broiled mackerel before.  I’ve already expounded on my affair with mackerel as a sushi fish, where it is pickled like a Scandinavian delicacy, but I failed to mention how I first really came to fall in love with the fish.

The Japanese call it “grilled mackerel” or saba yaki, and that is, simply, what it is.  It might be more accurate to call it saba no shioyaki which would be “mackerel grilled with salt”.  Either way, the result is the same: a piece of incredibly tender, oily fish with a crisp, edible skin.  The fish is so rich that it is traditionally served with lemon and a large pile of grated radish, both of which I didn’t have and both of which I can live without — well, I do really like the grated radish.  But you catch what I’m pitching.

Foremost, as you can see, it’s a cheap fish.  Under $4 to serve two people dinner is pretty incredible (of course there were lots of sides, but I don’t count those).  Saba can be difficult to find in Western fish markets, but they’re always there, lurking, in the Asian markets.  Even though the local Japanese market had them fresh, I chose this frozen one simply because I didn’t know when I’d be cooking it.

And what an incredibly gorgeous fish it is, right?  So predatory and majestic, even when small enough to fit into the hand.  The skin itself feels like the finest calf leather, soft and smooth.  I really do respect this creature.  If it were a man it’d be a small, lithe ninja of a man.

Anyway, I prepped it but cutting it into two servings, slashing the meat deep several times and then bagging it in sake to marinate while it thawed the rest of the way.   The saki part isn’t necessary, but it ever-so-faintly “sweetens” the flesh, or deadens that very fishy-tasting outer layer.  About 10 minutes later the sake is rinsed off, and then salt is rubbed into the flesh.  Since it is going to be eaten with lots of rice, it is actually nice to oversalt it just a smidge.

And then there’s the small matter of my not having a grill – no biggie, the pieces were broiled about 4 or 5 inches from the element  for about 7 or 10 minutes, KEEPING CAREFUL WATCH ON IT, until it is brown and crackly and you can barely keep from snatching the skin right off and eating it like a potato chip.  You will think that the fish is losing a lot of water, but you are wrong: it is oil.  Sheets and sheets of oil with the highest levels of Omega-3s that you’ll ever encounter.  And a small amount of mercury, so don’t eat it every night.

Broiled Mackerel (“Saba no Shioyaki”)
this fish is very rich, so don’t plan on serving more than a 4oz portion to a single person – but it doesn’t seem like a lot of food, so have lots of sides with your rice, like miso soup and some quickly prepared vegetables.  Also note that you can do the same with a whole (cleaned) fish, but you’ll have to turn the fish when one side is done broiling and then do the other, and that the underside will no longer be crispy.

mackerel fillet
1/4 C. sake
salt

• If using frozen, thaw the fish overnight in the fridge OR run under cold tap water for about 10 minutes which should thaw it about half the way.  The fillets aren’t terribly thick or anything, so don’t bust your balls over this part.  Now would be a good time to feel along the meat to see if there are any bones, which there almost certainly will be.  If you can pull them out, do so, but in Japan it is not considered terribly important to remove the bones before cooking.  If they aren’t already, cut them into single portions and then slash each portion deeply (but not all the way through, Scissorhands) with a sharp knife.

• Either in a very small, shallow dish or in a ziplock bag, marinate the fillets in a little sake.  Let sit for 10 minutes while you start your rice cooking and/or whatever else.

• Very quickly and lightly rinse the fillets and pat them dry.  Season generously with salt, taking care to rub it into the slices you made into the meat.  Line a small, low-rimmed pan¹ (like a cookie sheet) with aluminum foil and place the fillets on it skin side up, close to the center and about an inch apart.  It depends on how your broiler is set up, but you want them to get equal exposure to the heat.  Adjust the rack to be about 5 inches from the heat and turn on the broiler.

• Broil for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the fish starts to curve up to meet the heat and the slashes you made open and start leaking oil.  The skin itself will brown and possibly bubble.  It’s okay is small areas get very brown, those will be the tasty bits.

• Remove from the heat and eat immediately with lots of hot rice.  Keep a towel handy for wiping the dripping oil off your face.  Oh, and watch out for bones!  Mackerel have large bones, but they are very sharp.

¹ I actually use the small tray that came with my toaster oven since it’s light and just big enough for two pieces of fish.