Salt-Grilled Ayu (鮎の塩焼き, Ayu no Shioyaki)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill, fish grill, or hot broiler
• •Long metal skewers, or soaked bamboo skewers
• •Oiled grill rack
• •Small suribachi mortar, or a small bowl and spoon for tadezu

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the ayu

   Choose ayu at its summer peak, with clear eyes, bright skin, red gills, and a clean smell like river water, never a strong fishy smell. Sourcing comes first. This dish has no sauce to hide behind, so a tired fish should become something else, not shioyaki.

   Wild ayu is prized for its cucumber-like fragrance from river algae. Farmed ayu can still make a fine dish if it is glistening fresh.
2. 2

   Dry and salt

   Pat the fish very dry. If the surface feels slippery, wipe lightly with sake, then dry again. Sprinkle a thin, even coat of salt over both sides and inside the belly. Leave the fish for ten minutes, then blot off any moisture that beads on the skin. Salt draws out surface water, and dry skin browns cleanly instead of steaming against the grill.

3. 3

   Salt the fins

   Press extra salt onto the tail, dorsal fin, and belly fins. This is kazarijio, decorative salt, but it earns its keep. The fins are thin and burn first, so the salt shields them and leaves the finished fish with those white, crisp edges we expect.

4. 4

   Skewer the fish

   Thread each ayu onto a long metal or bamboo skewer, entering through the mouth, passing along the backbone, and bringing the skewer out near the tail so the fish curves slightly as if swimming. This odori-gushi, or dancing skewer, is not only for looks. The curve exposes more skin to the heat and helps the fish stand proudly rather than slump.

   If bamboo skewers are all you have, soak them for thirty minutes first and shield the exposed ends with foil. Metal skewers conduct heat into the fish and make the cooking a little steadier.
5. 5

   Prepare the grill

   Heat a charcoal grill to a steady medium-high heat, then set the fish a little away from the fiercest coals. The old phrase is strong fire from a distance. Too close and the skin blackens before the backbone area cooks; too gentle and the fish dries before the skin crisps. Brush the grate clean and oil it lightly.

6. 6

   Grill the ayu

   Grill the ayu for about five to six minutes on the first side, then turn once and grill four to five minutes more. Listen for a quiet crackle and watch the skin tighten, bronze, and crisp. The belly should feel just firm when pressed with chopsticks. Turn only once if you can, because every extra move risks tearing the skin you worked to dry.

7. 7

   Make tadezu

   Stir the chopped tade leaves into the rice vinegar, adding the usukuchi if you want a rounder saltiness. Tadezu should be sharp, green, and a little bitter. It is there to cut the richness of the belly, not to cover the fish. If you cannot find tade, serve grated daikon with a pinch of sanshō and a citrus wedge, and say plainly that it is a stand-in.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Lay each fish on its plate with the curve intact, head to the left and belly toward the diner in the usual Japanese setting. Add a small dish of tadezu and one wedge of sudachi or lemon. Eat while the skin is still crisp. Small ayu may be eaten head to tail; with larger fish, lift the top fillet from the bone, then turn to the other side.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger when the ayu arrived and whether it is wild or farmed. Wild is splendid in season, but freshness outranks romance every time.
• •Do not scale ayu heavily. A gentle rinse and dry cloth are enough after cleaning. The skin is delicate, and rough handling steals the crisp surface before the grill ever sees it.
• •If you are grilling indoors, use a fish grill or a very hot broiler with the fish set on an oiled rack. It will not have charcoal fragrance, but the principle remains: dry skin, strong heat, careful distance.
• •Serve one fish per person with restraint around it. Ayu is a special-occasion dish because it is seasonal and exact, not because the plate is crowded.

Advance Preparation

• •The tadezu can be mixed two hours ahead and kept chilled. Stir it again before serving, because the chopped leaves settle.
• •The ayu can be cleaned and refrigerated earlier the same day, loosely covered. Salt it only shortly before grilling, or the flesh firms too much and loses its gentle sweetness.
• •Soak bamboo skewers thirty minutes before cooking if you are not using metal skewers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)