Katsuo no Tataki (Seared Bonito)

Name: Katsuo no Tataki (Seared Bonito)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: raw-grade bonito loin 300 g; salt 3 g; yuzu vinegar 15 ml; soy sauce 54 ml; scallion 20 g; onion 40 g; garlic 20 g

Quick answer

Total time: 18 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Only the surface of the bonito meets the flame, for 20 to 30 seconds a side, leaving a smoky crust around a center that stays red and cold.

Since the inside stays raw, the fish has to be bonito sold and cold-handled for eating raw, not ordinary grilling fish. In the Kochi Prefecture style, thick slices are sprinkled with salt, splashed with yuzu vinegar and soy, and patted with the flat of a knife so the seasoning settles in. Paper-thin garlic and onion and chopped scallions are scattered on top, and the plate is eaten right away rather than left at room temperature.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

raw-grade bonito loin

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Instructions

5 steps

1

Keep 300g raw-grade bonito at or below 4C until needed.

Pat it dry with clean paper towels and shape it into a long loin along the natural back or belly section.
2

Place the bonito on a grill rack or metal skewers close to the tip of a strong flame.

Sear the skin side and two lateral surfaces for 20 to 30 seconds each, coloring only the exterior while the center stays cool.
3

Transfer to a clean board and slice across the grain 1.5cm thick.

Sprinkle evenly with 3g salt and tap the surface lightly with fingertips or the side of a knife.
4

Drizzle 7ml yuzu vinegar and 27ml soy sauce over the bonito, tap lightly once more, and arrange the slices on a plate.
5

Slice 20g garlic and 40g onion very thinly and cut 20g scallion into rings.

Scatter them over the bonito, pour over the remaining 8ml yuzu vinegar and 27ml soy sauce, and serve immediately.