Ultimate Homemade Sesame Mackerel Rice Bowl

Remove the mackerel's innards, fillet it into three pieces, and trim away the belly bones and membrane.

Carefully peel off the thin skin on the surface of the mackerel fillet, holding it down with your hand.

Arrange the mackerel on a tray, sprinkle a small amount of salt from a height, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to draw out some moisture.

Pat dry the salt-cured mackerel, score the skin side with a few shallow cuts, then slice it on the diagonal into about 1cm-wide pieces. Cut the dark bloodline meat into thin strips.

In a small pot, heat equal amounts of mirin and sake to cook off the alcohol, then add the soy sauce. Combine this sauce with a generous amount of sesame seeds ground in a mortar, and chill.

Add the cooled sesame sauce to the sliced mackerel and massage it in firmly to let the flavor soak in.

Serve rice in a bowl and top generously with the sauce-coated mackerel. Finish with ho-shiso and grated green yuzu zest and juice, to taste.

Enjoy it as is first, then, if you like, pour piping hot kombu dashi over it to turn it into an ochazuke for a change of flavor.