AI-generated image
Masu zushi
Masu zushi (ます寿司): Toyama pressed trout sushi in a bamboo-leaf-lined round box
Masu zushi is Toyama's famous ekiben, the boxed lunch sold at the station for the train ride: a round, flat cake of vinegared rice pressed under a layer of salted, vinegar-cured trout and wrapped in bright green bamboo leaves, cut into wedges like a pie. The fish is cured but raw, so use only fish sold as safe to eat raw and previously frozen, and keep everything cold; this version is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. For a safer version, use hot-smoked trout fillet instead, which is fully cooked. The usual mistake is pressing the rice while it is still warm, which turns it mushy; cool it to body temperature first. Chef's tip: press the cake for a full hour under a heavy weight so it slices cleanly, then cut it with a wet knife.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the trout
- 10 ½ oz skinless trout or salmon fillet sold for eating raw, previously frozenor hot-smoked trout for the safer version
- 2 tbsp salt
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
For the sushi rice
- 14 oz Japanese short-grain ricerinsed until clear
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
To assemble
- 8 bamboo leavessoaked, or baking paper
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: For the raw version, cover 10 ½ oz skinless trout or salmon fillet sold for eating raw, previously frozen on both sides with 2 tbsp salt and leave in the fridge for 40 minutes. Rinse, pat dry and soak in ½ cup rice vinegar mixed with 1 tsp sugar in the fridge for 20 minutes, until the surface turns pale. Pat dry and slice thinly on an angle. For the safer version, simply flake or slice hot-smoked trout.
60 minStep 2: Cook 14 oz Japanese short-grain rice with 1 ¾ cups water: bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 13 minutes, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
23 minStep 3: Warm ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt until dissolved. Tip the rice into a wide bowl and fold in the dressing with a cutting motion while fanning, until glossy and cooled to body temperature.
Step 4: Line a 20 cm round tin with cling film, then lay 8 bamboo leaves in a fan so they hang over the edge.
Step 5: Arrange the trout slices over the leaves in a single overlapping layer, then press the rice evenly on top.
Step 6: Fold the leaves over, cover with a plate and a 1–2 kg weight and press in a cool place for 1 hour.
Step 7: Turn out, unwrap and cut into 6 wedges with a wet knife. Eat the same day, kept cool, or keep in the fridge and eat within 24 hours.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does masu zushi take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, 'grilled as you like it') is the pride of Osaka, where it's cooked on hot iron griddles in lively restaurants. Finely shredded cabbage is folded into a light batter with egg and spring onion, then fried into a thick, soft pancake with a crisp outside. It's painted with a fruity brown sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise. Bonito flakes are usual on top; this vegetarian version uses seaweed flakes and pickled ginger instead. Chef's tip: don't press the pancake down with your spatula while it cooks. Osaka cooks leave it alone so the cabbage steams inside and stays light and fluffy; pressing squeezes out the air.
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Agedashi tofu
Agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐) is a classic izakaya dish eaten all over Japan: cubes of soft tofu dusted in potato starch, fried until they form a thin, crisp shell, then bathed in a hot, savoury broth. The coating turns silky as it soaks up the sauce while the tofu inside stays creamy. Usually topped with bonito flakes; here it's grated daikon, ginger and spring onion with a kombu-shiitake broth instead. Chef's tip: coat the tofu in starch right before it goes into the oil, not ahead of time; if it sits, the starch turns damp and the coating fries up gummy instead of crisp.