Battera (バッテラ, Osaka konbu-pressed mackerel)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Battera mold, or a narrow loaf pan with a flat board
• •Sharp slicing knife
• •Wide wooden sushi bowl (hangiri), or a large shallow mixing bowl
• •Plastic wrap
• •Tweezers for pin bones

Instructions

1. 1

   Inspect the saba

   Use mackerel that is firm, bright-skinned, and clean-smelling, with no sour or heavy fish smell. Battera is only as good as the fish you begin with. If the saba is tired, cook it instead; vinegar is a seasoning here, not a disguise.

   Ask your fishmonger when the mackerel arrived and whether they would cure it for sushi. That answer matters more than any pretty label.
2. 2

   Salt the fish

   Lay the fillets skin-side down on a tray and coat both sides evenly with the 2 tablespoons of salt. Refrigerate for 45 minutes. The salt draws out excess moisture, firms the flesh, and gives the vinegar something neat to work on. When beads of moisture show on the surface, the fish is ready for rinsing.

3. 3

   Vinegar-cure saba

   Rinse the salt from the fillets under cold water, then pat them very dry. Stir 1 cup rice vinegar with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt until dissolved, then lay the fillets in it, adding more vinegar if needed to cover. Refrigerate 25 to 35 minutes, depending on thickness. The outside should turn pale and firm while the center stays faintly pink.

   Over-curing is the common mistake. Once the fish turns uniformly white and hard, you've traded clean brightness for woolliness.
4. 4

   Skin and trim

   Lift the saba from the vinegar and pat it dry. Starting at the head end, peel away the thin outer skin so the silver under-skin remains as much as possible. Trim uneven edges and shave down any thick belly ridge. A level piece presses evenly, and an even press gives you clean slices instead of a tilted little argument.

5. 5

   Season the rice

   Mix 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt until dissolved. Spread the hot cooked rice in a wide bowl and fold in the sushi vinegar with a cutting motion, fanning or turning gently until the grains look glossy and are warm, not hot. Warm rice drinks the seasoning; cold rice only wears it on the surface.

6. 6

   Prepare the konbu

   Trim the shiraita konbu to fit the mold. If it feels stiff, wipe it with a little rice vinegar and let it soften for a few minutes. It should bend without cracking. The konbu is not decoration; it rounds the sharpness of the cured fish and gives battera its quiet, pale finish.

7. 7

   Pack the mold

   Line a battera mold or small loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang. Lay the konbu in first, then the mackerel skin-side down, silver side against the konbu. Spread half the vinegared rice over the fish in an even layer, pressing lightly into the corners. Do not mash the grains. You want joined sushi, not rice paste.

8. 8

   Press and rest

   Fold the plastic over the rice, set the lid or a flat board on top, and press firmly and evenly. Weight it with a small can or another pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight. The rest lets the rice, fish, and konbu settle into one body, so the knife meets a loaf rather than three loose layers.

9. 9

   Slice cleanly

   Unmold the battera and set it konbu-side up. Use a sharp knife wiped with a damp cloth, cutting straight down into 6 pieces per loaf and wiping the blade between cuts. The clean cut is part of the taste here: each piece should show rice, fish, and konbu in a single, orderly bite.

10. 10

    Serve simply

    Serve cool or at room temperature with pickled ginger. Soy sauce is optional and should be used lightly, if at all. The mackerel has already been seasoned by salt, vinegar, rice, and konbu. Let that work speak plainly.

Chef Tips

• •For home kitchens, use mackerel that has been frozen to a proper parasite-killing standard before curing, or buy fish specifically sold for raw or cured preparation from a fishmonger you trust. Freshness and handling come before knife work.
• •The true tool is a wooden battera mold. A narrow loaf pan with a flat board that fits inside is a sensible stand-in, provided you press evenly from end to end.
• •Shiraita konbu gives the Osaka finish. If you cannot find it, make shime-saba pressed sushi without the konbu and say so honestly. It will be good, but it will not quite be battera.

Advance Preparation

• •The mackerel can be salted and vinegar-cured earlier the same day, then kept covered and cold until pressing.
• •Pressed battera is best after 3 hours and very good overnight. Keep it refrigerated, then let it sit 15 to 20 minutes before slicing so the rice softens slightly.
• •Eat within 24 hours. This is a cured fish dish, not a long-storage food.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)