Namagusa-Koko (Daikon Pickled in Salted Sardine Liquid)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 90 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 16 servings
- Ingredients
- 3
About this dish
Namagusa-koko is a preserved food from Kakudahama in Niigata City.
Read more
Sardines cleaned of gills and innards in spring are stored under a large measured quantity of salt, then heated around 70°C in winter to make the liquid used for pickling daikon for about 1 month. The salted fish is held from the spring catch until the December radish harvest, then heated with its brine while stirring. Around 70°C, the thick fish mixture becomes a smoother liquid. Once cooled, it must cover the daikon completely during the month-long refrigerated pickle. The finished radish is sliced thinly and was formerly eaten both as an everyday side dish and at New Year.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Remove the gills and innards completely from fresh whole sardines sold for food.
Rinse quickly in cold water and dry thoroughly so moisture does not dilute the salt concentration.
- 2Finish
Spread a little coarse salt in a sanitized, fully dried nonreactive container and alternate the sardines with the remaining salt.
Finish with salt, add a weight, seal, and keep refrigerated from spring until the December daikon harvest.
- 3Control
Transfer the salted sardines and all brine from the container to a large pot.
Heat slowly over low heat while stirring; once the entire mixture reaches at least 70°C, continue until the thick flesh breaks down into a smoother liquid.
- 4Control
Remove the sardine liquid from the heat and cool it covered.
Scrub the daikon clean, trim only the leaves and root tips, and pack them tightly into a sanitized, dried pickling vessel.
- 5Control
Pour the cooled sardine liquid over the daikon and use a sanitized weight to keep every radish completely submerged.
Cover and pickle under refrigeration for about 1 month, checking regularly that no daikon rises above the liquid.
- 6Finish
After 1 month, remove a daikon with clean tongs and slice it thinly.
Take only the amount being served and return the rest below the liquid under refrigeration.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Main ingredients: daikon radishes, whole sardines, and coarse salt
- Finish cue
- After 1 month, remove a daikon with clean tongs and slice it thinly.
- Avoid this
- Do not reduce the salt; if mold, unusual color, or an offensive odor appears, discard the batch without tasting.
- Storage and reheating
- This long pickle depends on its measured salt ratio, sanitation, and cold storage.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
90min, 3 ingredients
Category median
33min, 8 ingredients
Based on 152 recipes
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