Today's Recipe

Ⅱ. Fish & Seafood

2. Salt Grilled Fish
(Shioyaki)

Salt Grilled Fish
(Shioyaki)

　This is just about the simplest way of cooking a fish but one of the best ways to appreciate its original taste. The Japanese, like some Europeans, like to eat a fish this way when the fish is really fresh and it is well worth your trying.
Any kind of fish or shellfish is suited for this cooking method. White meat fish, blue-skinned oily fish, or even clams, shrimp and squid.
The keys to the best result are heating power and the distance between the fish and the heat. Grill over a high heat keeping about 20cm (8-inch) distance in between, which enables to cook the fish evenly.

4 servings

4 fillets of any kind of fish, or 4 whole fish for each serving
2 teaspoons salt
10 cm (4-inch) long piece, daikon, Japanese radish, skinned and grated
Japanese soy sauce

1.	Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt from about 30 cm (1 foot) above the fish so that the salt is sprinkled evenly on the fish. Let stand for 30 minutes to 2 hours or until brine runs from the fish.
2.	Skewer the fish with two or three metal skewers, two fillets together at a time. Place a Japanese traditional grill over high heat. Grill the fish on the skin side first, keeping it 10 cm (4-inch) apart from the grill until the edge of the fish turns white. Turn over the fish holding the skewers and grill the other side until done.
3.	Serve with grated radish and soy sauce. Lemon juice is also good.

Alternative:
If a Japanese traditional grill is not available, heat and grease a frying pan and saute the fish, skin side first and then the other side.

Salting:
The amount of salt to sprinkle over fish depends on whether the fish is a white firm meat fish or a blue-skinned oily fish, and also on the thickness of the fish. Oily fish or thicker fish needs more salt. The average amount should be about 2 % of the fish weight, or use 1/2 teaspoon salt for 1 fillet of fish weighing 100 g (about 1/4 pound).

Grill:
There are several utensils to grill fish. The traditional one; a set of flame expander, skewer holder (tetsukyu) and skewers (kanagushi) is the best though expensive. You can use them for life, however, if you replace the flame expander every few years. A gridiron with a heat expander (sakana yaki ami) is handy and not expensive but the heat gets too close to the grill. Before you start to grill, you should heat the gridiron until almost red to prevent the fish from sticking.
The Japanese electric grill is new but handy.

Keiko　Hayashi