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Grilled Mackerel (Saba Shioyaki) 鯖の塩焼き

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Grilled Mackerel | JustOneCookbook.com

Today I want to share a very quick and easy grilled fish recipe.  Grilled Mackerel or Saba Shioyaki (鯖の塩焼き) is one of the more popular seafood dishes served as an entree or part of a bento combination in Japanese restaurants here in the U.S.

Grilled Mackerel | JustOneCookbook.com

Before I continue with the recipe, I want to apologize for being absent here for more than a week and I’m very sorry for not being able to respond to your messages and questions.

I was planning to take a short break from blogging while my children are on spring break this week.  But before I had a chance to give a vacation notice on my blog, my daughter got pretty sick for several days.  Before she got fully recover, I ended up getting sick from her and followed by my son.  Therefore I needed a little bit more time off to get fully recovered and take care of my son.

During this time my blog has actually moved for 4th time to a dedicated server, and hopefully this should resolve server load issue.  Once again, I apologize for my late responses and I will get back to you as soon as I get better.

Meanwhile please enjoy this delicious Grilled Mackerel recipe.  Take good care everyone and enjoy the spring weather!

Grilled Mackerel | JustOneCookbook.com

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Grilled Mackerel (Saba Shioyaki)
Grilled Mackerel | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
Print
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 fillets mackerel (saba)
  • 2 Tbsp sake
  • Kosher salt
  • Daikon (grated, to serve)
  • soy sauce (to serve)
Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Grilled Mackerel Ingredients
  2. Rinse the fish under cold water and then quickly run the fish in a bowl of sake.
    Grilled Mackerel 1
  3. Pat dry with paper towel.
    Grilled Mackerel 2
  4. Generously salt both side of the fish and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. ).
    Grilled Mackerel 3
  5. After 20 minutes… you should see the fish expel water, which makes the flesh denser.
    Grilled Mackerel 4
  6. Wipe off any excess moisture on the fish.
    Grilled Mackerel 5
  7. Preheat the toaster oven to 400F (200C).* Place the fish skin side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper (spray or brush oil so it doesn't stick). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
    Grilled Mackerel 6
  8. Grate a piece of daikon using a coarse grater (the one with circle holes). Serve the grilled mackerel with grated daikon on the side. Pour a few drops of soy sauce on grated daikon before you eat. Enjoy eating the combination of the fish and grated daikon together.
    Grilled Mackerel 7
Recipe Notes

*Bake for 25-30 minutes without preheat.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

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  8. Love saba, though I’ve always bought the frozen ones. Mackerel seems to be seasonal over here, but will try it when I find it! Hope you feel better soon! Baking is usually quite therapeutic 🙂

    8
    Reply to Fern'> Reply

  9. wow that looks good Nami. I love smoked mackerel pate, but I haven’t managed to cook fresh mackerel, to my shame. But this recipe has inspired me. So sorry you’ve all been sick. The only thing worse than having sick children is being sick at the same time – what a horror! Hope you are all well again!

    9
    Reply to Jenny'> Reply

  10. Nami-san, I hope you and your family is on recovery soon. I know kids love to share everything, including their germs. Your Saba Shioyaki looks delicious. I have not had this dish since living in Japan. I love, love, love that pottery dish! I know you are in a tough spot with your site getting so many hits. Is it time to move to your own dedicated server, that sounds expensive… My hubby is in Yokohama right now for one more day, do you have any culinary needs or something you need while he is there? Take care, BAM

    10
    Reply to Bam's Kitchen'> Reply

  13. Hey Nami, please take care of your health, and I hope that you’re already feeling much better.
    This fish looks well grilled and delicious, I love the smell of grilled fish, and might just ask my family to do some grilling outdoors coming weekend 🙂

    13
    Reply to Muna Kenny'> Reply

  16. I have never had makereral before and I know I just spelled it wrong but going backwards on my iPhone will lose my post sometimes.

    I hope you all get to feeling better. How well I remember passing sickness around in my house. Sounds like your hubby is next in line. I hope not. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    16
    Reply to Vicki Bensinger'> Reply

  19. Kimmi

    I’m glad to hear that your family is recovering — stay healthy!!

    This recipe looks very easy to follow, and I’m looking forward to getting some fish at the local market this weekend. I’ve never had grated daikon before (only boiled in soups and stocks), but it looks like it would be a refreshing pairing with saba. Thanks for sharing with us!

    19
    Reply to Kimmi'> Reply

    • Thank you Kimmi! I’m trying my best to recover during this weekend before school starts next week… Oh the grated daikon is a wonderful addition and I hope you will give it a try – it works with mackerel, sanma (pacific saury), salmon… all kinds of grilled fish. 🙂

      55
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  27. So sorry you’ve been sick! I hope everyone is feeling better. And congrats on the new sever – that means you’re getting tons of traffic, yes? 🙂 Love this dish – it doesn’t get any easier to make than this! I rarely eat mackerel for some reason – I should have it more often. Really like the idea of serving it with the daikon radish. Good stuff – thanks.

    27
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

  28. Glad to see you back and feeling better. So sorry you and your kids got sick, it’s never easy! But this grilled mackerel is such a healthy dish. We tried something like this in Tokyo and I’ve been meaning to ask you how to do it. This post is perfect and didn’t realize it was so easy. Welcome back and thanks for sharing, Nami!

    28
    Reply to Betty Ann @Mango_Queen'> Reply

  35. Hi Nami,
    Thanks for the recipe. My family LOVES grilled saba so I make it whenever I can find it in stores. BUT … there is a serious lack of this fish on the east coast. We rarely get any and if so, it’s frozen in a supermarket! Too bad – a super food!
    Take care.

    35
    Reply to Nobuko'> Reply

  36. Minnie

    I’m so sorry to hear you and your kids took ill. The season has been fraught with flu. My son is still recovering, his 6th day of fever. Hope everything is back to normal soon. The Mackarel looks tender and flavorful.

    36
    Reply to Minnie'> Reply

  38. Rachel

    I hope that you’re feeling better now!
    Thanks for this easier recipe, it’s good after a long day at work!
    I was wondering what kind of sake you use, regular sake, or mirin? I know mirin is generally used for cooking.
    Thanks again for sharing!

    38
    Reply to Rachel'> Reply

  40. This grilled fish looks delicious Nami! I should get a toaster oven. My in-laws have one and when we stayed with them I used to use it all the time during the week for easy dinners. This mackerel looks like one we would all enjoy too.

    I do hope you’re feeling better quickly. It’s never fun to have sick kids, but even worse when you end up sick yourself. I hope you’re all up and running in no time. Hugs to you all!

    40
    Reply to Kristy'> Reply

  43. Lily

    Hello Nami.

    Sorry to hear that your family are not well but I’m glad that everyone is recovering. Tried and tested this is delicious!

    Thank you again for a great simple recipe.

    Lily

    43
    Reply to Lily'> Reply

  48. On Nami, I do sincerely hope that you and your family will feel much better very soon! Your dish looks so delicious on that breathtakingly pretty plate that you served this on. Mackerel is actually a fish that can be easily found around here, it is so healthy and delicious but I certainly never enjoyed it the way you prepared it – this recipe sounds fabulous!
    Wishing you all the speediest of recoveries!

    48
    Reply to TheKitchenLioness'> Reply

  49. suki

    I wish you fully recovering very soon, and coming back to your enthusiasm as always . and I do have a question, I can’t consume sake , what should I substitute it with ?

    49
    Reply to suki'> Reply

    • Hi Suki! Thank you for your well wishes. I’m hoping to get well soon.

      If you don’t consume sake, you can simply omit. It doesn’t make a HUGE difference. I always like to treat the fish with sake before cooking to get rid of fishy smell, but you can simply omit that extra step. Hope you enjoy this dish! 🙂

      63
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  53. Oh, I’m so sorry you’ve all been sick, Nami! Hope you’re on the mend. And, again, I’m sorry to hear about your server woes…what a pain. Your mackerel looks fantastic, my friend. Take care!!!

    57
    Reply to Liz'> Reply

  55. Lf

    Hi, Nami,
    Hope you and your kid get well soon. Another mackerel fish recipe , I like it, I will try it since I can buy this type of fish in Malaysia easily. Now i have another new menu for my dinner.
    Thanks .

    64
    Reply to Lf'> Reply

  57. Nami, I hope you feel a little better now. Even ill, you somehow still manage to post regularly such wonderful dishes! You are incredible! I love the way you treat the mackerel: so simple and yet so delicious. I only prepare mackerel with miso, but now that it’s warmer, grilling seems a much better option. And I like mackerel so much! Take care!

    66
    Reply to Sissi'> Reply

  63. Nami, I hope you and your kids are feeling better. Sorry everyone was sick during spring break or anytime for that matter. What a great way to cook mackerel. I’ve had mackerel before, and this looks like the tastiest of all the recipes I’ve tasted – and it’s easy! Makes it even better. Thanks for sharing!

    72
    Reply to mjskit'> Reply

  68. Jim

    Hi Nami,

    Glad to hear you are well.
    Just to ask you how do you fillet the saba fish if you buy it whole. In Singapore we purchase them whole and I find it difficult to debone them. This would be a new receipe as I marinate my saba with soy, sugar and bonito flakes and mirin (for the shine)

    Jim

    78
    Reply to Jim'> Reply

  72. Aww, I’m so sorry to hear about you guys being sick! We just dealt with that this weekend and I’m starting to feel it now too:( But I love a simple grilled fish. Yours looks perfectly cooked! And beautiful photos, as always!!!

    82
    Reply to Alyssa'> Reply

  77. Dear Nami,

    This together with sanma are one of so many of my favourite Japanese recipes. I normally grill saba skin side up on a chargrill (heat from top) so the skin is slightly seared and crispy and also any excess moisture will drip off the grill. Is there any reason that you grill it skin side down?

    Also, I need a squeeze of lemon juice onto the fish once it is ready. Is that a Japanese tradition or simply an addition by some Japanese restaurants?

    87
    Reply to ChopinandMysaucepan'> Reply

    • Hi C&MSP! I learned from my mom (and it’s actually common Japanese cooking term) that we have to cook 魚身鳥皮. I assume you can read Chinese, but it means for fish we start cooking from flesh and for chicken we cook from skin. So when I place fish in a fish griller (in Japan we have a special broiler for fish under the stove top), we always face the fish flesh to the heat source first. So I do the same for toaster oven.

      Another reason is that the flesh tends to stick on aluminum foil. I have oiled the aluminum foil before to see if it helps, but it still sticks (maybe wire rack may help). Saba skin has natural oil like you said and it prevents from sticking when the skin side is down (and I do not put oil at all). The skin gets crispy too but won’t be easily burn when it’s on the bottom.

      So those are my two main reasons why I put skin side down. 🙂

      Oh, lemon is sometimes served with the fish, but not always. However, daikon oroshi (grated daikon) is almost always served with saba shioyaki… I think. 🙂

      91
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Dear Nami,

        Thanks for the clarification. I always need daikon oroshi with this dish. I read somewhere it is not good to have the food in direct contact with the foil when baking so now I put a sheet of baking paper over the foil before wrapping up the food, eg a spaghetti marinara in the oven to retain all the flavours.

        If I am pan-searing say a salmon fillet, I would cook that skin-side down on the pan for about 80% of cooking time before flipping over, depending on thickness of the cut. The skin doesn’t burn since it has natural oils and becomes really crispy too.

        120
        Reply to ChopinandMysaucepan'> Reply

  80. These viruses are so awful! And once they enter in the family only God knows who they will hit next! I hope you are all have recovered by now and fish is such a great source of vitamins and elements. The perfect way to strengthen yourselves!

    92
    Reply to Katerina'> Reply

  84. donna mikasa

    So sorry to hear you and your family are under the weather! I was wondering what happened to you. Speedy recovery to all.

    Next to salmon, saba is my favorite fish! I love the fattiness and the idea of simply grilling it makes my mouth water! Maybe this will be on our menu tonight! Take care, Nami!

    96
    Reply to donna mikasa'> Reply

  88. My hubby and I LOVE grilled mackerel at Japanese restaurants, and I am glad that you shared this recipe. The first time I tried making this at home – I had pan fried the fish which made it a bit more oily than I had liked. I will try salting it and baking it the next time. Thanks again for sharing this recipe! And I hope that you and your daughter are now feeling better!

    100
    Reply to Sharon | Chinese Soup Pot'> Reply

  89. Oh I’m so sorry to hear about the sickness! I hope everyone starts to feel better…and soon. This looks delicious. Perfectly grilled. Thank you for sharing! I’m glad to be back home after a week of traveling…and finally catching up on my favorite blogs. I hope you have a blessed week!

    101
    Reply to Monet'> Reply

  95. Nami, I am sorry you have been sick and hope you are feeling better very soon. Take good care of yourself. Your grilled mackerel looks fabulous! I love the grated daikon on the side. My husband is a big fan and always orders mackerel in Japanese restaurants. Now I can try it at home!

    107
    Reply to Hannah'> Reply

  96. Hi Nami, so sorry you were sick – that’s never fun, and your poor kids too! I hope everyone is feeling great again 🙂

    Lovely looking fish – I love mackerel… isn’t the colour and pattern of the skin so pretty?

    108
    Reply to Charles'> Reply

  101. CK

    ^.^ That is happiness on a plate right there. Some miso soup and rice with some tsukemono and once again I am back having a Japanese breakfast moment. Thanks so much for the post, Nami and we are all hoping your road to recovery is quick!

    113
    Reply to CK'> Reply

  105. Glad you are all better now.
    I cook everything, but somehow have never cooked fresh mackerel. With your inspiration, next time I see it at the market, I’m picking it up and bringing it home to use your method.
    Adore the turquoise plate!
    LL

    119
    Reply to Lori Lynn'> Reply

  106. Whenever I go to Japanese restaurant for lunch, I often find myself ordering this grilled mackerel set lunch. Love the radish and the soy sauce on top of this fish. I love the flavor of the fish when pant-fried but it leaves strong fish odor for a while in the kitchen. Baking the fish in the oven is great alternative and healthier option. Thanks for your step by step instruction. My craving is kicking in…

    121
    Reply to Holly'> Reply

  108. Serene

    Hi Nami san, I chance upon this webpage when I’m trying to find the Saba shio receipe. I have tried to cook and the skin always stick to the aluminum foil. Can I check if I can bake the fish with the skin facing up instead of skin facing down?

    Thanks so much!

    124
    Reply to Serene'> Reply

    • Hi Serene! Spray or brush the oil on aluminum foil would help. You can also put on wire rack too, if it’s available. But sure, you can cook skin facing up – make sure you don’t burn the skin. 🙂

      125
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Serene

        Hi Nami-San,

        Many thanks for your reply.

        I have tried using oil but the skin got stuck onto the foil as well. Guess I am just bad at cooking. Maybe I should use parchment paper instead. Do you think this is a better choice then aluminum foil?

        126
        Reply to Serene'> Reply

        • Serene, no no, you are doing fine. It easily sticks to the foil even you oil it. Parchment paper works too, but make sure there is no extra paper close to the heat sauce because it can be burned and dangerous (especially toaster oven is so small). Hope that helps! 🙂

          127
          Reply to Nami'> Reply

  110. Evie

    i have a cheap toaster oven that doesn’t have a preheat option, do I still need to preheat it? Any idea how long that would take? I tried broiling once it didn’t come out well (no browning). But I would love to make this in a toaster oven instead of heating up the whole kitchen. Thanks. This looks like a tasty simple dinner.

    130
    Reply to Evie'> Reply

    • Hi Evie! My toaster oven doesn’t have pre-heat either, but if you can leave it on for a few minutes ahead of time, that’s considered pre-heat. To be honest, I sometimes skip preheating and just start cooking. The cooking time is a bit longer than I specified but total cooking is about 25 minutes or so at 400F (200C). Now I’m not sure how big your oven toaster is and how close your heat source is, but if you have a typical small toaster oven, it should have enough heat and time to cook the fish with nice char. Hope this helps! 🙂

      131
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • If the heat sauce is up (top), we usually cook the flesh side first (to firm up the flesh). In Japan we have a saying 魚身鶏皮 (Fish, Flesh, Chicken, Skin), meaning you cook flesh first for the fish, and skin first for chicken. When you cook skin first, the skin shrinks, cracks, and fish loses the flavors. But it’s up to you. 🙂

      137
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  115. Minn

    Hi Nami
    I just tried the grilled saba it was delicious! However my fish didn’t have the golden brown skin like yours. Do I neex to flip the fish ? I baked for 25 minutes. I was afraid over baking may cause the fish to turn dry. Nevertheless my family still thoroughly enjoyed it!

    141
    Reply to Minn'> Reply

    • Hi Minn! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I use a toaster oven, which heat source is pretty close to the fish compared to the oven. Maybe that’s why? Did you use a toaster oven too? If you use an oven, maybe use “broil” setting and give some distance (not too close so it doesn’t burn). 🙂 Hope this helps!

      142
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  117. Brent

    I know this is an old post but I wanted to say I love this recipe because its so simple, and I eat it all the time because saba is always on sale at my local market! Love it with rice and an ume!

    145
    Reply to Brent'> Reply

    • Hi Brent! Aww thank you! I’m so happy you tried this old recipe. I will need to bring back older posts to life since there are so many easy and simple recipes that people can make. Thank you for “digging” to my old recipe archives. xoxo 😀

      146
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

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