Heshiko Rice-Bran Fermented Mackerel
Quick answer
- Total time
- 25 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 3
About this dish
Gutted mackerel salted for about ten days and then buried in rice bran with chile, sake, and fresh sansho for roughly half a year becomes heshiko, a preserve from Kyoto's Tango region.
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The fish is salty and strongly fermented, so it is brushed of excess bran, grilled briefly, and eaten in small amounts with rice, ochazuke, or drinks. The name may come from heshikomu, a fisherman's word for pressing fish into a barrel. This recipe skips home fermentation and covers only a sealed, fully matured product from a licensed maker.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Choose sealed, fully matured heshiko from a licensed maker.
Check package damage, swelling, leakage, and date. Store at 4°C or colder as labeled and cook on the day opened.
- 2
Open with clean scissors and place 400g heshiko on a dedicated board.
Brush off bran with chopsticks; to reduce salt, rinse under cold water for only 3 seconds and dry completely with paper towels.
- 3
Cut into 4 portions and place skin-side up on a lined tray.
Roast in a 220°C oven for 6 to 8 minutes, removing when the thickest center reaches at least 75°C. Do not overcook until hard.
- 4
Flake grilled heshiko with clean chopsticks while checking bones.
Place only 20 to 30g per person over 600g hot rice in total, as the fish is strongly salted.
- 5
For ochazuke, divide fish and rice among 4 bowls and pour over 800ml green tea at 80°C or hotter.
Refrigerate opened leftovers in a clean sealed container at 4°C or colder for up to 2 days or freeze immediately.
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
「京ごちそうさまお母さんの味」（京都府生活研究グループ連絡協議会） · Checked: 2026-08-11
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