Recipe: Whole Roasted Mackerel (Saba)

Since our kids love saba (mackerel) fish so much, I have been cooking it pretty regularly at home. I usually get the fillets cos they're super convenient, but one week, I got some whole saba fishes and roasted them whole in the oven. More to go around!

I placed a few slices of lemon in the cavity before roasting them in the oven at 190C for 20 minutes. You can serve the fish with either teriyaki sauce or soy dipping sauce or you can even just enjoy it au naturel with a squeeze of lemon. Beautiful crispy skin with moist flesh.. yum!

Whole roasted mackerel (saba)

Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 2 minutes (+15 minutes waiting time)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 x frozen 450g mackerel fish (saba), defrosted at room temperature for 2 hours and gutted
Salt
1 tbsp cooking sake
Oil
1 lemon, sliced
Grated radish


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


Alternatively, soy dipping sauce
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce



1. Pat the fish dry with kitchen towel. Apply salt liberally all over fish, including fish cavity and set aside for 15 minutes.

2.Rinse off salt and then pat dry again.

3. Line a baking tray with foil. Lightly brush the foil with some oil. Lay fish on the tray. Using a knife, make a few slits on the fish (optional). 

4. Cut 4-6 thin slices of lemon. Cut remaining lemon into two wedges. Place the sliced lemon in the cavity of the fish. Season with salt. 

5. Preheat oven to 190C (roast mode). Place fish in oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven and flip the fish, using the help of your spatula, and return to oven and cook for a further 10 minutes. By now, the skin should look golden brown and crisp. You can also place it under a hot grill for 2 minutes if you want to help the skin brown further.

6. Place the cooked saba on a plate and serve with a wedge of lemon. Shape the daikon into a small mound and place on plate. Serve teriyaki sauce on the side. You can also serve it with soy sauce if you do not wish to make the teriyaki sauce.

7. For the teriyaki sauce: Place ingredients for teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for about 2 minutes, until sauce is bubbling. Remove from heat.

8. Alternatively, you can also serve the fish with this soy dipping sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic in oil for 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Add light soy sauce and stir to mix.

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