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Battera mackerel sushi: ©️ Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Battera with preserved mackerel

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Ingredients to make the battera

  • 2 halves pickled mackerel
  • several Japanese mint (shiso) or ordinary mint leaves
  • 2 tbsp pickled ginger (gari)
  • 1 cup vinegared and sweetened cooked sushi rice

Ingredients to make the pickled ginger (gari)

  • 3.5 oz (100 g) young ginger
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 6.5 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 4 tbsp (45 g) sugar

Instructions
 

Instructions to making the mackerel battera

  • Take the pickled mackerel halves (see food basics section for pickled mackerel) after removing the upper skin and taking out all bones
  • Put one fish halve skin side down on your board. We are going to butterfly the fish
  • Now with a sharp knife that you keep parallel to where the main bone had been and flat with respect to the board, cut carefully into the fish, until about a half inch of the edge of the fish. Repeat for the other section of the same halve
  • Then repeat the above step for the other halve
  • Place a piece of cling wrap on the masuki. Then place on the cling wrap one butterflied mackerel halve skin-side down and open the flaps
  • Place mint leaves in the centre and also the gari slices
  • Add a strip of cooked and 'vinegared' sushi rice (see the food basics section) in the length and an inch wide on top
  • Then roll the sushi tight, ensuring that most of not all of the rice is covered by fish. Make it tight by using the masuki to press the sushi roll
  • Leave the roll for at least 2 h before consumption, so the flavors can mingle and a delicious taste developed. Slice with a wet, sharp cooks knife rounds just before serving

Instructions to make the gari

  • clean the young ginger using a spoon or knife
  • very thinly slice with a sharp cooks knife the ginger in placks
  • sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt on the ginger and set aside for 5 minutes
  • Make a small pot of boiling water and add the ginger. Cook for 3 minutes (less spicy) and 1 minute (more spicy).
  • Drain the ginger slices and with clean hands squeeze the water further out.
  • Place the ginger slices in a jar
  • In a separate pot, mix the rice vinegar,  the sugar and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Let simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes.
  • Then take it off the heat and let it cool.
  • When cooled down to lukewarm, pour the contents in the jar with ginger slices. 
  • Store the gari for up to a year in the refrigerator.

Notes

Method: no heating
Food allergy & intolerance information: fish
Keyword Appetizer, No heat treatment, sushi