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Aji no nanbanzuke
Pickled fried horse mackerel
Aji no nanbanzuke (鯵の南蛮漬け): lightly fried horse mackerel marinated in vinegar with onion and carrot
Nanbanzuke, "southern barbarian pickle", came to Nagasaki with Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century, a cousin of escabeche, and today it is a summer home dish all over Japan: small horse mackerel (aji) dusted with flour, fried until crisp, then plunged while hot into a sweet-sour vinegar marinade with sliced onion, carrot, pepper and chilli. It is eaten cold, the next day as good as the first, with rice or in bento. A portion is about 250 kcal. The most common mistake is letting the fried fish cool before it goes into the marinade; it must be hot so it drinks up the vinegar. Chef's tip: fry the fish twice for a short time rather than once for long; it stays crisp even after a night in the marinade.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 dried red chilliseeded and sliced
- ½ onionvery thinly sliced
- ½ carrotcut into fine matchsticks
- 1 green peppercut into fine strips
For the fish
- 14 oz horse mackerel (aji) filletsor small mackerel or sardine fillets, cut into 5 cm pieces
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 ¾ cups sunflower oilfor shallow frying, about 2 cm deep
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring ½ cup rice vinegar, ½ cup water, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 dried red chilli to the boil in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a shallow dish and add ½ onion, ½ carrot and 1 green pepper.
3 minStep 2: Pat 14 oz horse mackerel (aji) fillets dry, sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt, leave for 5 minutes, then pat dry again and dust with 3 tbsp plain flour.
6 minStep 3: Heat 1 ¾ cups sunflower oil in a deep frying pan to 350°F. Fry the fish in batches for 2 minutes, lift out for 1 minute, then fry again for 1 minute, until crisp and golden and the flesh is opaque and flakes.
10 minStep 4: Drain briefly on kitchen paper and put straight into the marinade while still hot. Turn to coat and scatter the vegetables over.
1 minStep 5: Leave for at least 15 minutes, or cover and chill overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature. It keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aji no nanbanzuke take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
- Cider vinegar with a pinch of sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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