Niboshi Dashi (煮干しだし, dried sardine stock)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Lidded jar or nonreactive container for overnight soaking
• •Small saucepan
• •Dashi-koshi stock-straining cloth, or a fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cotton cloth

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the niboshi

   Break off the heads with your fingers, then pinch away the dark belly and innards from each niboshi. This is the one detail that decides the stock. The heads and bellies carry bitterness that grows when heat wakes them, so removing them gives you a cleaner dashi. If your niboshi are very tiny and smell clean, you may leave them whole for a stronger country-style miso soup stock.

   Do not rinse the niboshi. Water washes away flavor from the surface and starts the fishy smell before the stock has any chance to become clear.
2. 2

   Soak overnight

   Put the trimmed niboshi in a lidded jar or small pot with the cold water. Add the konbu if using. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Cold water pulls sweetness and depth from the dried fish slowly, without the rough edge that hard boiling brings. This is why the easiest method is also the best one.

   The konbu is optional, but useful. It rounds the niboshi without hiding it, the way we often build dashi by letting two quiet ingredients do more than one loud one.
3. 3

   Warm gently

   Pour the soaked niboshi, water, and konbu into a saucepan. Set it over medium-low heat. When the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, lift out the konbu before the water boils. Keep the niboshi at a bare simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, skimming any pale foam from the surface. A hard boil makes the stock cloudy and sharp, which is a poor trade for speed.

4. 4

   Strain cleanly

   Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth or dashi-koshi cloth. Let it drip on its own. Do not press the fish, because pressing forces fine particles and strong oils into the broth. You want a pale-gold stock that smells cleanly of the sea, not a pot trying to win an argument.

5. 5

   Use or store

   Use the dashi at once for miso soup, udon broth, or nimono, gently simmered dishes. Season only after the stock is made. If it tastes thin, the answer is more niboshi or a longer soak next time, not more salt. Let the dashi cool quickly if storing, then refrigerate in a clean covered container.

Chef Tips

• •Choose niboshi that are bright silver, dry, and clean-smelling. If they are yellowed, oily, or stale in the bag, the stock will tell on them. Nothing hidden.
• •Remove heads and bellies for a clean stock. For a rustic miso soup, some cooks leave very small niboshi whole, but that is a stronger dashi by choice, not the same result with less work.
• •Store niboshi sealed in the freezer. They are dried, yes, but the oils still turn tired, and old fish makes old-tasting dashi.
• •Do not season the pot while making the stock. Dashi first, miso or soy after. Salt can make a thin stock taste louder, but it cannot make it deeper.
• •A packet made only from ground niboshi can help on a hurried night, but it is a stand-in. When the dashi is the whole point, start with the fish and water.

Advance Preparation

• •Set the niboshi to soak before bed. In the morning, the dashi is about ten minutes from ready.
• •Finished niboshi dashi keeps two days refrigerated in a covered container.
• •For longer storage, freeze the strained dashi for up to one month. Thaw gently and use it for miso soup or simmered dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)