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Ingredients
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Mackerel and curing
Rice vinegar cure
To serve
Method
Mackerel and curing
- 1
Prepare fish
Rinse the whole mackerel under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Using a very sharp fillet knife, butterfly each fish: make a cut behind the gill plate and run the knife along the backbone to remove the fillets in one piece, keeping skin intact. Remove any pin bones with tweezers. Rinse briefly and pat dry.
- 2
Salt cure
Lay a layer of coarse sea salt in the bottom of a nonreactive tray just large enough to hold the fillets flesh-side up. Sprinkle an even layer of salt over the flesh of each fillet (about 1–1.5 tbsp per fillet surface). Alternatively, pack fillets flesh-to-flesh with salt between them. Cover the tray, weigh the fillets with another tray or a plate and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes. The salt will draw moisture and begin firming the flesh.
- 3
Rinse salt
After 30–45 minutes, remove the fillets and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove all surface salt. Briefly soak in a bowl of ice water (200–300 ml ice water) for 1–2 minutes to remove residual salt and cool the flesh, then pat completely dry with paper towels.
Rice vinegar cure
- 4
Prepare vinegar mixture
Combine the rice vinegar, mirin (if using), and sake (if using) in a small saucepan and warm gently—do not boil—just to meld flavors (about 1–2 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Lay the kombu strip on the fillet skin side down and pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the fillets so they are submerged or well-coated. If your container is small, place fillets skin side down stacked with kombu between them. Cover and refrigerate.
- 5
Cure in vinegar
Allow the fillets to marinate in the vinegar mixture in the refrigerator for 3–6 hours depending on desired level of cure: 3 hours for lightly cured (softer, sashimi-like), up to 6 hours for a firmer, more pickled texture. Flip once halfway if not fully submerged so both surfaces cure evenly.
- 6
Final rinse and dry
Remove the fillets from the vinegar. Gently rinse briefly under cold water to remove excess vinegar. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels and place skin-side down on a rack in the refrigerator uncovered for 30–60 minutes to firm the surface and dry slightly (this helps achieve a glossy slice).
To serve
- 7
Slice and plate
Using a very sharp slicer or sashimi knife, slice the fillets across the grain into 4–6 mm (about 1/4 inch) thick slices. Wipe the knife with a damp cloth between passes for clean cuts. Arrange slices on a chilled plate, skin-side up so the silver sheen shows (if skin was left on).
- 8
- 9
Storage
If not serving all at once, keep unused cured fillets wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Flavor continues to develop; discard if texture becomes excessively soft or off-odors develop.
