Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association | JSS
The gentle taste is a delight. Enjoy the nutritious and delicious shio koji!
In Okayama Prefecture, “Sawara (Spanish mackerel)” is a hero fish indispensable for festivals. The elegant and refreshing sawara is lightly marinated in shio koji. The sawara is lower in fat than blue-backed fish, and the shio koji softens the ingredients, making this a healthy snack!
This dish is especially great with fruity types of sake for a refreshing and delicate flavor. These types of sake also brings out the shio koji flavors. It also pairs well with sweet and smooth types of sake for a clear mouthful which brings out the flavors of the ingredients.
| 2 slices of sawara (Spanish mackerel) |
| 2 turnips (leaves and roots) |
| (A) 1 tablespoon of shio koji |
| (A) 1 tablespoon of mirin |
| 1 teaspoon salad oil *for pan frying only |
Step 1:
Peel the root of the turnip and cut into 6 equal pieces. Boil the leaves, cut into 5 cm pieces and drain well.
Step 2:
Place (A), sawara and turnip root in a storage bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 3:
Grill or fry (Step 2) in a pan until golden brown, serve and garnish with turnip leaves from (Step 1).
Tip: It is said that in the Kansai region, sawara are in season from May to June in the spring when they gather in the Seto Inland Sea to lay eggs, while in the Kanto region, they are caught between December to February before they lay eggs.
