🐟 Mackerel nigiri (saba)
Mackerel nigiri, called saba in Japan, is vinegared sushi rice topped with a slice of mackerel, its silver skin left on. The fish is rich, oily and full-flavoured, and the sharp vinegared rice and wasabi cut through it. It belongs to the family of shiny 'hikari-mono' toppings and is loved by sushi fans who like bold flavours.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g Japanese short-grain rice
- 240 ml water
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 g very fresh mackerel fillet, plus 2 tbsp salt and 100 ml rice vinegar for curing
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
Method
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with the water and let it rest covered for 10 minutes.
- Warm the vinegar with the sugar and salt until dissolved, fold it into the hot rice with a cutting motion and let it cool to body temperature.
- Cover the fillet with salt for 1 hour, rinse, soak in the vinegar for 20 minutes, pat dry, remove pin bones and the thin outer skin, and slice into 10 pieces.
- With wet hands, shape about 20 g of rice into a small oblong, dab a little wasabi on the underside of the topping and press it gently onto the rice.
- Serve right away, 2 pieces per person as a snack or 8–10 as a meal.
How to make it lighter
- Count pieces: the rice makes up most of the calories, so 2–4 pieces alongside a salad is lighter than a full sushi platter.
- Mackerel is an oily fish, so 2–3 pieces are satisfying; fill the rest of the meal with vegetables and pickled ginger.
- Ask for smaller rice balls or order the same topping as sashimi to skip the rice entirely.
History
Nigiri is the hand-pressed style of sushi that took shape in Edo, today's Tokyo, in the early 19th century, when street stalls sold quick bites of vinegared rice topped with fish from Edo Bay. Its invention is usually credited to the sushi maker Hanaya Yohei, though the story is hard to verify. Before refrigeration, many toppings were cured, simmered or marinated, and raw toppings became common only in the 20th century. Because mackerel spoils quickly, it is traditionally salted and cured in vinegar before it goes on the rice.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →