Kohada no Awazuke (Sweet-Vinegar Gizzard Shad with Millet)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 75 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Silver gizzard shad fillets come out of the jar coated in yellow millet grains, cured in sweet vinegar with a dried red chili tucked between the layers.
Read more
This is an Edo New Year dish: kohada is a fish that changes its name as it grows, a symbol of rising fortune, and millet stands for a full harvest. It spends a few days in the refrigerator, until the sweet vinegar reaches the center, before going into the osechi box.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Keep the raw-consumption-grade gizzard shad cold.
Remove heads and innards, remove the two side fillets from the central backbone, and pull out pin bones. Cut into bite-size pieces, salt both sides evenly, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 2
Rinse the millet until the water runs clear and combine it with 200 ml water in a heatproof bowl.
Steam for about 25 minutes, until tender and the water is absorbed, then spread on a tray and cool completely. Seed the dried chili and slice it into thin rings.
- 3
Pat away moisture released by the salted fish and cure it in 100 ml sweetened vinegar under refrigeration for 20 minutes, then drain. In a clean lidded container, alternate layers of cooled millet and chili with the fish. Pour in the remaining sweetened vinegar so everything is evenly moistened.
- 4
Press food-safe film onto the surface, close the lid, and cure at 4°C or below for 2 to 3 days.
Once daily, use a clean spoon to exchange the top and bottom layers. Serve in four portions when millet adheres to the fish and the sweet vinegar has seasoned it through.
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
ぐるなび · Checked: 2026-08-11
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Nozawana-zuke (Fermented Nozawana Greens)
dried red chili
Nita-kumoji (Simmered Aged Turnip-Green Pickles)
dried red chili
Nasu no Koji-zuke (Eggplant Pickled with Rice Koji)
dried red chili