Tony’s Take on Mackerel Sushi at Fujiyama

Ingredients

• 2 cups sushi rice (short-grain Japanese rice)
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 fresh Mackerel fillet (Sashimi-grade, extremely fresh)
• 1/2 lb fresh Tuna block (Maguro/Akami, Sashimi-grade)
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (for sushi su)
• 1 cup rice vinegar (for curing)
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt (for curing mackerel)
• 1 piece dried kombu (kelp), roughly 2 inches
• Wasabi paste
• Pickled ginger (gari)
• Soy sauce
• Salted Perfection Sweet Ginger Finishing Salt

Instructions

1. Rinse that rice! Wash it in cold water 3-4 times until the water runs clear. Drain it well. Cook in a rice cooker or pot with the water and kombu.
2. While the rice cooks, prep the vinegar mix (Sushi Su). Dissolve 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt into 1/2 cup rice vinegar over low heat. Don't boil it! Let it cool.
3. Time for the Mackerel maneuver! Place the fillet skin-side down. Cover the flesh generously with coarse sea salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes. This draws out the fishiness and tightens the texture.
4. Rinse the salt off the mackerel with cold water. Pat it bone-dry with paper towels.
5. Marinate the mackerel! Submerge the fillet in the 1 cup of plain rice vinegar for 20 minutes. The flesh will turn slightly white/opaque—that's the cure working!
6. Remove mackerel from vinegar. Peel off the thin, transparent outer skin layer (it's tough, get rid of it). Slice the mackerel and the tuna into rectangular nigiri slices against the grain.
7. Rice is ready! Dump it into a wide bowl. Drizzle the sushi su over it while slicing through the rice with a paddle. Fan it to cool it down to body temperature. Keep it glossy!
8. Assembly time! Wet your hands. Grab a small ball of rice (about 20g) and shape it into an oval. Smear a tiny dab of wasabi on the underside of a fish slice.
9. Press the fish onto the rice. Shape it gently with two fingers to drape the fish over the sides. Repeat for all tuna and mackerel pieces.
10. Plate it up on a wooden board just like the photo. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of Salted Perfection Sweet Ginger Finishing Salt over the mackerel to pop that flavor. DUNZO!