Savoury smoked mackerel, creamy mayo and fresh spring onion all wrapped up into a little roll with crunchy veggies – yum! I love this Mackerel Sushi recipe for how easy and simple it is. Perfect for a sushi night with friends or as part of a light lunch.
I’ve been loving smoked mackerel recently – it’s budget friendly and delicious. Since being back in the UK I’ve been eating it weekly with a bowl of rice and simple miso soup. This versatile fish is packed with flavour so I thought it would be great in a maki form, and I was right.
What is Mackerel Sushi?
There are many types of Mackerel Sushi – most famously is ‘Shime Saba’ (saba is mackerel in Japanese) which is a cured mackerel fillet that can be eaten as sashimi or as sushi. My grandma makes an amazing shime saba – its savoury, tangy, and bright flavour wake up the senses, ready for the next bite.
This recipe doesn’t use cured mackerel, it uses smoked mackerel. Similar to shime saba, the flavours of the rich fish shines in this recipe – its the star of the show. Its simple but deeply flavourful, all thanks to the smoked mackerel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – there are loads of options! Tinned tuna is a great since many people will have some in thier cupboards already. Smoked salmon works beautifully as well.
To make this sushi, it is useful to have a rolling matt but it’s not essential. It might not look as neat but it will still taste the same, and thats the most important thing.
This is can be stored for about 3 days in the fridge.
What Can I Serve with Mackerel Sushi?
Something I love about Japanese home cooking is the variety. When my grandma cooks, theres always a spread of different dishes across the table. She would pair this sushi with a simple bowl of Tofu Miso Soup, maybe a side of Miso Aubergines, and then a plate of Pork and Potato (Nikujaga) for good measure.
Mackerel Sushi (Saba Maki)
Equipment
- 1 rolling mat
Ingredients
Mackerel Filling
- 2 smoked mackerel fillets (finely chopped)
- 2-3 tbsp mayonaise
- 2 small spring onions (finely chopped)
Sushi Rice
- 3 cups cooked Japanese rice (1 cup of uncooked rice)
- 0.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 0.5 tsp white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Vegetable filling
- 1/2 carrot (cut into matchsticks)
- 1/3 cucumber (de-seeded and cut into matchsticks)
Other
- 8 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
- wasabi
- soy sauce
- 1 small pot of water (to seal the roll)
Instructions
- Mix the rice vinegar, white sugar and pinch of salt together and pour over the cooked rice. Combine fully and cool before using.
- Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the mackerel filling and prepare the vegetables.
- Once rice has cooled down, take a sheet of nori and spread out a small amount of rice onto one half of the sheet. Spread out a tablespoon of mackerel filling on the rice, add some carrot and cucumber, then start rolling.
- Just before you get to the end, dip your fingers into the pot of water and run it along the edge (this will help the nori stick), then roll to secure it.
- Slice into bite sized pieces and transfer to a plate. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.
