How to prepare Mackerel sushi ( Shime Saba sushi ) step by step. Preparation ( how to cut, salt cure, and marinate mackerel)0:56 Slicing and making nigiri 10:05
30+ years ago at my favorite sushi bar, my friend the chef explained exactly the same method for brining/curing Mackerel as you explained here. Shime Saba is one of my very favorites but it has to be very delicately brined and cured so it's not too dry as you say and not too salty. The oils should still be sweet even though fishy and the texture should be soft/firm and melting in your mouth. I KNOW your preparation meets ALL those requirements! After watching this video I'll be preparing my own soon, had forgotten all about it over the years. Can't wait for more sushi videos! Thank you for these few. I love both Uni and Natto but perhaps only a few of us "Round Eyes" do HAHA. I had a Japanese friend who introduced me to Natto, she said just try it. I loved it and then she said even some Japanese don't like it and she admitted she didn't so much. I've had Natto that was over fermented and did not like it but like Uni if it's right then Natto is also almost sweet yet funky. Good quality, FRESH Uni, is always briny, tastes of the sea and seaweed and is SWEET! Even today with the great popularity of sushi in the U.S. people are still afraid of or reluctant to try some things. I'd love to see more informational videos about sushi, history, and the art of it. I really enjoyed your video on Unagi another favorite for dessert even. The salty sweetness is most wonderful.
I love Mackerel! It is prepared differently in TX than from what I would have in CA. Rice vinegar gives the nigiri an amazing flavor and texture. Thank you for showing me how to do it right!
Torn meniscus took me out for a while. Slowly getting back at it... to pass time ive been working through the recipes on your channel. So far, ive done 12 of your 25 videos and have learned ALOT! Everything comes out as you describe. Amazing. I am truly proud of my sushi presentation, and i give credit to you when someone asks how i learned it. Thank you for the amazing content! Keep at it! Ill let you know when ive finished all of your recipes :)
Thank you for trying out my recipes and sending me such kind words. I hope you'll be fully recovered by the time you complete all my recipes. Please take good care of yourself.😊
The care, attention to detail, skill and patience required is most informative and you make the task look most approachable and not too daunting. I can't wait to give it a try. Thank you very much! I'll let you know how I get on.
Thank you very much for a wonderful comment. Making sushi shouldn't be as daunting as many people think it is. Instead it should be fun making it at home. Going to bed thinking about mackerel for next day is a part of fun too. So please give it a try and let me know how you did. 😊
Thank you for a very simple and very clear explanation. I did it last week and it was a hit with my guests. Everyone loved it! Do you have a video for Tuna Takaki?
Sensai Kunihiro, I applaud you on another great sushi video. You also emphasize the fact to take great care of the preparations nd safety on the handling of the fish. Thank you sooo much. You have created another student in me. I bow respectfully to you Sensai. Thank you. 🙏 🙂
Yes..i love the way you show and explain well..again im.watching everytime in your vedeo.. And also im chef..but so interesting to watch your vedeo.. And i can get more edia at chef..more edia and more learning to use at my job too..thank you so much for your kind explanationnand clear..
Thank you for watching my video. If the mackerel you caught is much smaller than mine, I suggest you would shorten the time for salt and rice vinegar part. Otherwise, your mackerel will be too salty and sour. I don't mean to be rude, but every time I went out for fishing, I caught only small mackerels. 😅
I have never filleted a fish before but after watching your videos I purchased a whole frozen mackerel. I just finished filleting it and it was very easy after following your instructions! I will be making your sushi rice recipe tomorrow and having homemade sushi for the first time, along with your miso soup recipe and your tsukudani recipe!
I learnt to make shime saba from you thanks to this video and, since then, it has become my favorite fish preparation. I often eat it as sashimi and nigirizushi and I LOVE it!
i was waiting on this from you!!!great job! how does only have 458 subs?.....isn't spanish mackerel the best?didn't u hav to clean the scales? thank you
Dear Kunihiro, I want to thank you for all your videos, really, really thank you! Yours sushi related videos are the best I ever watched, and by far! You are a great teacher, and a great videomaker, your explanations are simple yet deep and with so much detail. Never boring or too technical and difficult. Thanks! Here in Italy, as in many countries it's almost impossible to find a sushi that looks and tastes like the original Japanese sushi (more or less like finding a real italian pizza or pasta around the world :) ) I cook since years, and I was always scared by trying to make sushi, but thanks to you now I'm improving a lot and every time my sushi improves! So thanks again and I can't wait to see some new videos, always inspired by japanese traditional sushi (definitely not western style sushi!!!) Arigato, Kunihiro Sensei!
Thank you very very much for a wonderful comment. I'm glad to know that you are improving. It always makes me happy when I know my viewers are actually trying sushi at home.😊
Your explanation was detailed and slow, so I did understand all. I am from Denmark, so Norway mackerel should be readily available here. Very good with texting of important steps
Hi Kunihiri. Yours is the best sushi channel I've seen. You truly make it so easy to understand. Could you please make a video of ' how to properly freeze/store freshly caught fish' for sushi.. Thank you again for this channel
When I was in the US. I could get frozen Norwegian mackerel at Asian grocery stores. I never found fresh ( never frozen) one there. I live in Japan now, but Japanese mackerel is so lean and less flavorful.😢 By the way, those Norwegian mackerel are flash frozen. So it's safe to eat it raw.
Thank you for video. I watch this video a few times already because where I live, we have Spanish Mackerel and I can catch when I am fishing. Keep making great video. I am a fan. Orz
Great video, thanks. How do you make sure the top of the fillet stays firm and not flaky? When I got to cutting the fish, the top was very fragile and often split when I was cutting it.
Thank you so much for watching the video.😊 When you separate fillets from the spine(3:18 and 4:08),you have to slide your knife fast with one motion. You need speed when you separate them. Also your knife has to be really sharp especially when you cut breakable fish like mackerel. Keep trying. You will get better every time. I had same problem when I first became a sushi chef.
My (blue mackerel fillets) looks pretty chewed up after de-pinning. Saw one vid on cutting out the spine and torching the skin. Might be the best plan for what I bought?
Great instructions! I am using premade shime saba (have made my own but I did dry it out but curing it too long I think, now I know why) but the cutting of the actual slices of sashimi for the nigiri is helpful for sure. Love your videos, thanks for making them. Oh, I noticed there was no sugar involved, I usually see saba with salt, vinegar and sugar here. Is just salt and vinegar the standard in Japan?
Sugar is not necessary at all. In recent years chefs in Western countries started using sugar to neutralize the saltiness. But, we don't use sugar when preparing Shime Saba in Japan. Shime Saba needs a little bit of saltiness. 😋 Thank you for watching, and please try my way next time. My mackerel sushi was a huge hit in my restaurant.
Goes to show how much work can be involved in food without cooking it. This would take me quite a few attempts to get right, and not nearly so quick nor as elegantly. I really love mackerel sushi.
beautiful work as usual. How long do you think it will last in the fridge? Its marinated, so I assume the shelf life (as long as its wrapped well) would be 7-10 days. How well does it do frozen?
As I showed in the video, the vinegar gets into the flesh Little by little. So, perfect timing to eat it is on second day. So I always finish eating it in 2, 3 days. So when I can't finish it soon, I double wrap and freeze it. It's good for at least 30 days. But, I set my freezer to it's coldest temperature. Thank you for watching.😊
I tried many timings already before and ended up with 40 minutes. But it's just my favorite timing so you can try 20 minutes. It won't ruin the fish. Don't worry. Thank you very much for watching.😊
If you are marinating more mackerel in a few days, it's ok to keep it in fridge but in my opinion you can reuse only once. After that result won't be the same. Mackerel gets little bit fishier. Main purpose of using vinegar is to reduce the fishiness of mackerel. So I recommend you to use new vinegar every time. Thank you very much for watching.😊
I try evry resipe of you is really wonderfull and so tasty but i want one advice of you why my roll sushi is not strong i mean is not stiky thank you for your work
When you make a roll sushi, first roll(when wrapping the ingredients) is the most important part. If the first roll is loose, the entire roll will be loose. So please make the first roll very tight. By the way, Thank you very much for trying my recipes.😊
That's up to chef's preference. I know some chefs use the same vinegar for a long time. But I, personally, don't prefer using the same one unless I use it on the next day. In my opinion, the vinegar becomes fishier and fishier after using a few times. I like the clean after taste.😊
Beautiful!!! Here in Costa Rica we have what they say is Spanish Mackerel (appears to be but I am not 100% sure) However it is really good. Can I use this same method for this fish and do I really need to freeze it first?
Spanish mackerel and regular mackerel are totally different fish. I usually serve it grilled. I don't use it for sushi topping. How do you eat it? Do you eat it raw?
@@sushibykunihiro7534 I love Spanish Makerel raw with Garlic. green onions and Ponzu, however I noticed it must be eaten raw the first day of catch after that yes I love it grilled or cooked almost any way it's really good!
Kunihiro, you only showed cutting one of the fillets. I was wondering, for the other fillet, do you also cut skin side down, tail to the left, cutting from the tail? (this means the belly part is facing away from you, opposite of the fillet you showed). Thanks!
When I slice mackerel, I always slice from the tail towards the head and the skin side down. That way, fish bends more nicely and your sushi will look more beautiful.
