A Japanese street-food classic: a whole saury, simply salted and grilled until the skin is crisp while the flesh stays juicy. Served with a lemon wedge and grated daikon.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces whole saury (gutted, scaled, head and tail left on), about 180-220 g each
- 20 g coarse sea salt (gray salt or fleur de sel)
- 1 piece lemon (for serving)
- 100 g daikon (white radish), for optional garnish
- 15 ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), for the grated daikon
Method
- Prepare the fish: rinse each saury under cold water, then gently pat it dry with paper towels (do not rub the skin). Check that no scales or traces of innards remain.
- Salt the fish: place them on a baking sheet or plate. Take a pinch of coarse salt (about 10 g per fish) and distribute it evenly over both sides and inside the cavity. Gently massage it in so the salt adheres. Let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature: the salt will draw water to the surface.
- Wipe away excess moisture: use a paper towel to pat the surface of the fish dry, removing the released water and any salt that has not penetrated. The fish should feel almost dry to the touch.
- Preheat the grill: if using a charcoal grill, wait until the coals are covered with a thin layer of white ash (medium-high heat, about 200-220 °C). For an oven grill or gas broiler, set it to the highest setting and preheat for 10 minutes.
- Grill: place the fish directly on the rack (or on a very lightly oiled rack if necessary, though ideally without any fat). Grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side. Do not touch the fish while it cooks: the skin should release on its own when ready. Visual cue: the edges of the tail fin become crisp and the skin blisters in places.
- Carefully turn the fish using a wide spatula. Grill the other side for 4 to 5 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and pulls away easily from the central bone. A probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part should read 58-60 °C.
- Meanwhile, prepare the garnish: peel the daikon and grate it finely. Add the soy sauce and mix. Cut the lemon into wedges.
- To serve: place each saury on a warm plate with a small mound of grated daikon and a lemon wedge. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 84 kcal
- Protein
- 10.82 g
- Carbohydrate
- 7.82 g
- Fat
- 1.67 g
- Fibre
- 2.48 g
- Calcium
- 6.6 mg
- Iron
- 0.09 mg
- Magnesium
- 4.74 mg
