Tai no Karamushi (Steamed Sea Bream Stuffed with Okara)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 130 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 14
About this dish
Two whole sea bream, opened along the back and packed with sweet-savory okara (tofu pulp) cooked with vegetables and ginkgo nuts, are steamed whole for this celebratory dish from the Kaga area of Ishikawa.
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The fish are set belly to belly on the platter, an arrangement that made it a regular at weddings. Each serving pairs mild bream with stuffing that has soaked up the fish juices.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Soak 6 dried wood ear mushrooms in 200ml cold water for 20 minutes, remove the hard bases, and cut into fine strips.
Julienne 20g bamboo shoot, 80g burdock, and 20g carrot into 4cm strips. Boil 8 ginkgo nuts and peel their thin skins.
- 2
Scale 2 sea bream and remove the gills.
Open each fish along the back beside the dorsal fin, remove the guts and backbone, and rinse. Dissolve 30g salt in 1L cold water, brine the fish under refrigeration for 1 hour, then drain and dry thoroughly.
- 3
Put the bamboo shoot, burdock, carrot, and wood ear mushrooms in a wide pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add 200ml dashi, 6 tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons sake, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and the remaining 1g salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4
Add 300g fresh okara and the 8 ginkgo nuts.
Cook over medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the pan. When no loose liquid remains and the okara holds together moistly, mix in 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, spread on a tray, and cool completely within 30 minutes.
- 5
Divide the cold okara filling between the back cavities of the 2 sea bream.
Do not pack it tightly; leave 1cm free at each opening so the filling can expand during steaming.
- 6
Bring ample water to a boil in a steamer large enough for the fish.
Set the bream inside on heatproof plates, cover, and steam over medium-high for 40 to 50 minutes, checking that the steamer does not run dry.
- 7
Remove the fish when the thickest flesh reaches at least 63°C and the center of the okara filling reaches at least 74°C.
Rest 5 minutes, arrange the bream with their bellies facing, and portion fish and filling together while checking for bones.
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
「金沢・加賀・能登 四季のふるさと料理」（著：青木悦子氏） · Checked: 2026-08-11
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