Gobo Maki (Burdock Wrapped in Eso Fish Skin)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 45 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 1 serving
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
In Hagi, Yamaguchi, the skin of eso (lizardfish) left over from making grilled fish cakes was saved rather than thrown away, marinated in sweet soy and wrapped around burdock root.
Read more
The rolls appeared at festivals, for guests and in cherry-blossom picnic boxes, and what sets them apart is that they use the skin, not a paste of the flesh. The skin needs a night in the marinade, which means starting the day before. Sliced, each round shows burdock at the center ringed by layers of dark, glazed skin.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Fillet the eso into three sections and separate the flesh from the skin.
Use the skin for this dish and set the flesh aside. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and sugar into a concentrated marinade, then submerge the skin completely.
- 2
Cover the container and marinate the skin overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, lift out and drain the skin. Discard the remaining marinade that contacted the raw fish rather than reusing it.
- 3
Cut the burdock into a 15 to 20 cm length and run a long metal skewer straight through its center.
Starting at one end, wrap the drained eso skin around the burdock one sheet at a time, overlapping it so the burdock is covered.
- 4
Hold the skewer over the heat and grill while turning it slowly and continuously.
Adjust the distance so one side does not burn, and cook until all the skin is opaque, fully cooked, and evenly browned with light char marks.
- 5
Remove the roll from the heat and rest it for 5 minutes so the glazed surface settles.
Carefully pull out the metal skewer and cut into bite-size pieces that show the burdock center and layers of eso skin.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- 일본 농림수산성 うちの郷土料理
Checked: 2026-08-11
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