Iwana no Shioyaki (Salt-Grilled Char)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 1 serving
- Ingredients
- 3
About this dish
A whole char of about 25 cm is threaded onto a long bamboo skewer in a gentle wave, salted and nothing else, and grilled slowly by the radiant heat of charcoal embers until the skin is dry and the flesh still moist.
Read more
Char live in clear mountain headwaters and were hard to catch until Miyagi Prefecture became the first in Japan to farm them, which made the fish a familiar taste around Kurihara.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Open the belly of 1 char about 25cm long and remove all innards and gills.
Quickly rinse blood from the cavity under cold running water, then dry the inside and outside thoroughly with paper towels. Keep the cleaned fish cold until grilling.
- 2
Guide 1 bamboo skewer, 40cm long, through the mouth and carefully along the backbone toward the tail.
Hold the body in a gentle wave on the skewer and check that the sharp point does not project toward your hand.
- 3
Pinch 3g salt and sprinkle it evenly over both sides from about 30cm above the fish.
Give the fins and tail careful coverage and let the salt settle on the surface for 5 minutes.
- 4
Light charcoal only outdoors or in a purpose-built, fully ventilated cooking area and wait until the coals glow under a pale ash coating. Position the fish 15 to 20cm from direct flame and grill slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the skewer every 4 to 5 minutes.
- 5
Remove the fish when the thickest back flesh reaches at least 63°C, flakes opaque, and the skin is evenly dry.
Using heatproof gloves or tongs, slowly rotate the skewer while the fish is still hot to loosen it from the flesh, then withdraw it and plate the fish.
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
鈴木 正文氏（栗原市在住／イワナ焼き歴約15年） · Checked: 2026-08-11