Photo/Illutration Mackerel sushi (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

Editor’s note: In the Taste of Life series, cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.

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The first time Katsuhiko Ueda, an “activist to popularize fish-eating,” tried “saba-zushi” (mackerel sushi) was in his college days when he visited a friend’s family home in Kyoto over the year-end and New Year holidays.

Mackerel sushi was served on a large plate on a table surrounded by his friend’s family and relatives. They gazed at the sushi and broke into smiles.

“This is a special dish served at the Bon festival, the year-end and New Year holidays,” his friend said.

Ueda recalls the thickness of the mackerel slices that sat on the rice. Combined with the sweet and sour aroma, the sushi certainly had a special presence.

Since the old days, marine products caught in Wakasa in Fukui Prefecture, including mackerel, are said to have played a role in the food culture of Kyoto.

According to a spokesperson for Obama city in Fukui Prefecture, written accounts dating back to the Muromachi Period (14th to 16th century) mention mackerel caught along the coast of Wakasa Bay being salted and brought to Kyoto along a road now known as “saba kaido,” or “mackerel route.”

This is believed to be the reason the custom of eating mackerel sushi took root in Kyoto.

The key was how to enjoy mackerel, which spoils quickly and is difficult to find fresh in faraway places.

Kyoto has a culture of separating “hare,” the out-of-the-ordinary annual festivals, and “ke,” the daily life.

Kyoto’s ingenious way to enjoy the fish and its flavor impressed Ueda.

“It was my first experience where I could understand the custom of fish-eating as a culture,” he said.

To avoid the bother of preparing the fish, Ueda suggests buying fillets of salted mackerel (“shio-saba”) produced in Japan. Those caught overseas tend to be fattier and more difficult to pickle with vinegar.

Asking your fish shop to prepare the fish is another option. If you can find a “good shop” that is lively and ready to offer information and recipes for fish, cooking them will become fun.

“Despite being a fish, mackerel is thick and full of umami like meat,” Ueda said. “And it can be pickled with salt and vinegar and left to sit so the flavor is enhanced. It is a dish that is like an artwork integrating salt, vinegar, rice and time.”

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Katsuhiko Ueda: Born in 1964 in Shimane Prefecture, Ueda is an activist to popularize fish-eating. While studying at Nagasaki University, he worked as a fisherman and joined the Fisheries Agency upon graduation.

Since leaving the agency in 2015, he has continued to convey the appeal of fish.

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Katsuhiko Ueda (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

BASIC COOKING METHOD

Main Ingredients

1 fresh mackerel, salt, vinegar, sugar, warm rice cooked al dente, sweet and sour pickle of ginger (shoga no amazuzuke) (if available)

1. Fillet mackerel and coat with handful of salt. Let fillets sit for at least 1 hour. Rinse off salt under running water and pat dry with kitchen paper.

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Fillet mackerel and coat with a handful of salt. (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

2. Lay mackerel in flat container and add vinegar that covers fillets. Leave for at least 30 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Pull out bones found along the center of fillet. Peel skin.

3. Add salt and sugar to vinegar used to pickle mackerel, and mix them. Check and adjust taste. Add this sushi vinegar to rice and mix in cutting motion. Use fan to cool to body temperature.

4. Lay vinegared mackerel in form for pressed sushi (“oshizushi”). Pack sushi rice on top by pressing as if pushing out air. Remove sushi from form so that mackerel comes on top.

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Lay vinegared mackerel in form for pressed sushi. (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

5. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap so there is no air and place on flat container. Place light weight on top and let it sit in cool place such as vegetable compartment of fridge. Cut into appropriate size, and serve on plate with sweet and sour pickle of ginger.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Jinsei Reshipi (Life Recipe) column

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