Nezushi (Koji-Fermented Trout and Rice)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 60 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Nezushi is a type of fermented sushi prepared for New Year in the Hida and Chuno areas of Gifu, especially around Gero.
Read more
Salted trout is deboned and cut into small pieces, while shredded daikon and carrot are rubbed with salt and squeezed. Freshly cooked rice is allowed to cool slightly before being mixed with rice koji, chopped ginger, fish, and vegetables. The mixture is packed closely into a container and left in the cold winter environment for about 14 to 20 days. During that rest, rice and koji develop a mild sweet-sour character that seasons the trout and vegetables, reflecting the preservation culture of Gifu's severe mountain winters.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Remove every remaining pin bone from the salted trout and cut it into small pieces about 1 cm wide.
Chop the ginger very finely.
- 2Season
Shred the daikon and carrot into thin 3 cm strips.
Sprinkle evenly with salt, massage for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze firmly by hand to remove the released liquid.
- 3Heat
Rinse the rice and cook it normally with the measured water.
Spread it in a wide bowl until the steam subsides and it feels only lukewarm, then mix in the rice koji evenly.
- 4Prep
Add the trout, daikon, carrot, and ginger to the koji rice and mix until evenly distributed.
Transfer to a clean, dry lidded container, press firmly with a spatula to remove air pockets, and level the surface.
- 5Finish
Cover the container and rest it for 14 to 20 days in a cold environment with little temperature fluctuation, like Hida in winter.
Scoop the fermented koji rice, trout, and vegetables together into bite-size servings and serve cold.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Salted trout pairs with salt-massaged vegetables.
- Finish cue
- Cover the container and rest it for 14 to 20 days in a cold environment with little temperature fluctuation, like Hida in winter.
- Avoid this
- Do not mix koji into steaming-hot rice.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
60min, 8 ingredients
Category median
38.5min, 8 ingredients
Based on 214 recipes
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