Recipe: Saba Teriyaki (Grilled Mackerel in Teriyaki Sauce)

Saba teriyaki is our favourite yakimono 焼き物 (grilled dish) to order whenever we visit a Japanese restaurant. To my delight, this dish can easily be recreated at home, using frozen saba (mackerel) fillets which you can get in the supermarkets. They are usually sold in packs of two or three fillets - which can feed 2 to 4 pax (depending on how hungry you are).

For the teriyaki sauce, simply combine the Japanese soy sauce, cooking sake, mirin and sugar. Marinate the fish fillets in some of the sauce and then cook in the oven for 15 minutes until the skin is crispy, blistered and slightly charred in places. You can the saba teriyaki, along with rice, side salad, edamame and miso soup.

The first time I made this at home, the kids faces lit up as they took the first bite and they told me how it tastes exactly like the one we get in the Japanese restaurant. I'm so glad that they loved it. Since then, I've made this a few times for them, since they simply can't get enough of it.

Do also check out this post for the Japanese salad with wafu dressing (just like the ones you get in Japanese restaurants).

Step-by-step video instructions on how to cook saba teriyaki at home.

Saba Teriyaki (Grilled Mackerel in Teriyaki Sauce)
Original recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
2 x frozen saba fillet (approx 300g), defrosted at room temperature for 1 hour

For the teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Japanese soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sake
1/4 cup mirin
2 tbsp caster sugar

To serve
2cm radish / daikon, grated



1. Line a baking tray with foil. Pat the fish dry with kitchen towel and place on the tray, skin side up.

2. In a bowl, mix the ingredients for teriyaki sauce until sugar is dissolved.

3. Spoon about 2 tablespoonfuls of sauce onto each fillet and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 180°C (roast mode).

5. Place fish in oven and cook for 15 minutes, until skin is crispy and charred in places.

6. Meanwhile, place remaining teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for about 2 minutes, until sauce is bubbling. Remove from heat.

7. Place fish on serving plate and spoon over the teriyaki sauce. Shape the daikon into a small mound and place on plate. Serve hot, with rice, miso soup, edamame and side salad.

Note: 

1. My kids like LOTS of teriyaki sauce with their fish (like literally drowning in sauce), so you may halve the sauce recipe if you think this is too much sauce. Otherwise, you may store the leftover, unused sauce in a clean glass jar in the fridge for a week.

2. If you are using 3 saba fillets, please use this amount of teriyaki sauce: 3 tbsp caster sugar, 6 tbsp mirin, 6 tbsp cooking sake and 6 tbsp Japanese soy sauce.

Saba teriyaki recipe Saba teriyaki recipe Saba teriyaki recipe Saba teriyaki recipe Saba teriyaki recipe
Grilled mackerel recipe Grilled mackerel recipe Grilled mackerel recipe Grilled mackerel recipe
If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel.Thanks :)