Shio Yaki: Salt-Broiled Fish

To my mind, there are only a few truly distinctive dishes in Japanese cuisine, setting aside the issue of raw fish in its various forms. One of these is shio yaki, salt-broiled or -grilled fish. This has its parallels elsewhere, but the Japanese version is immediately recognizable when done to perfection. Here I’ll talk about how to do it the usual home-made way, which isn’t perfection but is surprisingly close — and surprisingly easy to do without special equipment or the like. It is also one of the best ways to deal with good-quality fish, because it’s so absolutely simple.

In a classic, traditional sort of meal, you get sashimi, rice, miso soup, pickles (tsukemono), and broiled fish. Sometimes you also get a clear soup (suimono), simmered things (nimono), and the like. In high-end kaiseki-ryōri, the haute cuisine of Japan, you get eight to ten little courses, including every one of these plus more. But when you boil it all down to basics, there’s dashi-based soup (miso or clear), raw fish (sashimi), rice (plain or adorned), pickles, and broiled fish. Just about everything else is imported (tempura comes from Portugal, for example, and ramen from China) or very specific to some particular and narrow cuisine (e.g., the hassun course in kaiseki), which isn't to say they're not popular, of course. But the point is, broiled fish is a big deal, and unlike a number of big deal foods in Japan (e.g. sushi) ordinary people actually make it at home. Here is a mid-range restaurant version, which seems to have replaced the sashimi with a little salad:

The other reason to talk about shio yaki now is a matter of the seasons: among the most beloved fish for home treatment in this fashion are sanma (Pacific saury) and ayu (sweetfish), both of which are in season and readily available in late summer and early-mid autumn. That cute fish in the first picture above is an ayu, and this one is a sanma:

So let’s talk broiled fish.

Shio Yaki Basics
The Japanese approach is quite simple. As you’ll see, though, it’s not quite so simple to adapt to the American kitchen. I'm going to focus on the whole fish version, which is both the classic version and the most distinctively Japanese one. (For a quick-and dirty sketch of this recipe, see the recipes section, but if you've never done this you're going to want to read this post first.)

Take your fish, whole (sometimes but not always gutted). Dry it well, then rub the entire surface lightly but not stingily with pure salt (kosher salt is ideal here) and let sit for about half an hour to draw some of the moisture from the flesh. Don't have it sit in the fridge unless your kitchen is very hot. With very small fish like sardines or smelts, this resting period isn’t necessary and may actually toughen the fish slightly. Rinse the fish, then dry with paper towels. Rub the gill flaps, tail, and all fins very well with coarse salt, working it in with your fingers; this will protect these parts and also give them an attractive white coating.

Turn on the broiler tray in your range (all Japanese kitchens have these). Wait about 5 minutes, then add about a half-cup of water to the bottom of the tray. Take a paper towel folded up and dunked in clean oil (canola is ideal, I think), and with a pair of long chopsticks quickly oil the bars in the broiler rack.

Close the drawer, wait a minute to come back to heat, and then put your fish on the rack so it rests on its right side: the side now broiling will be the presentation side, and should be done first. Broil at “distant but intense heat” until the skin is browned and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. With chopsticks and a rubber or wood spatula if necessary (tongs do not work well here, I'm afraid), gently turn the fish over and broil until done, which will take about the same time unless the fish is very large. Serve immediately, right side of the fish down, head pointing to the left. Serve with lemon (or seasonal citrus fruit) wedges, maybe some pickled ginger or herbs, and offer soy sauce and grated daikon to those who want them.

Your best choice for fish here is something fairly small and usually kind of skinny, shaped like a mackerel or freshwater trout or the like. Normally you want one little-ish fish per diner. Each person sprinkles a little citrus juice if wanted, then tears into the fish with chopsticks, eating everything but the head and bones (although with very little fish you just eat it all). Serve with plain rice, miso soup, and Japanese-style pickles.

Unfortunately, if you live in America rather than Japan, there are two problems. First of all, fish like this aren’t so easy to come by. Second, our broilers aren’t set up like this at all.

For some possible solutions, see part 2....