Kuchizoko no Nitsuke (Saga-Style Simmered Sole)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Along the Ariake Sea, tonguesole is called kuchizoko, and it is simmered briefly and hard in a generous mix of sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Read more
Unlike long-braised fish, these thin fillets cook in minutes and come out of the pot as soon as they are done, which keeps the flesh tender and flaky. Burdock cooked in the leftover liquid goes alongside.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Gently scrape the scales from 4 sole with a dedicated fish scaler.
Remove the gills and guts, rinse briefly in cold water, dry thoroughly, and make a long cut along the backbone.
- 2
Scrub 160g burdock, cut it into 5cm batons about 5mm thick, soak in cold water for 5 minutes, rinse, and drain.
- 3
In a wide pan that holds the fish in one layer, combine 400ml water, 200ml sake, 100ml soy sauce, 100ml mirin, and 4 tablespoons sugar. Bring to a full boil over high heat.
- 4
Lay the sole in the boiling liquid with the scored side up.
When it returns to a boil, skim the foam, cover closely with a damp parchment drop lid, add the pan lid, and simmer over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- 5
When the thickest flesh reaches 63°C, remove both lids and add 20ml ginger juice.
Tilt the pan and spoon the liquid over the fish 5 to 6 times, then lift the sole carefully with a wide spatula.
- 6
Add the burdock to the remaining broth and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until a chopstick enters easily.
Set each sole intact on a plate, add the burdock, and spoon over plenty of hot broth.
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
西九州大学佐賀調理製菓専門学校 田中 · Checked: 2026-08-11
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