Split-Dried Hokke (ほっけの開き, Hokke no Hiraki)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Fish grill or broiler
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Long fish spatula or two broad turners
• •Oroshigane grater for daikon, or the fine side of a box grater

Instructions

1. 1

   Split the fish

   Lay the cleaned hokke belly-side down and cut along one side of the backbone from head to tail, opening the fish like a book while keeping the two halves attached. Remove the backbone if you like a neater plate, or leave it in for easier handling on the grill. Rinse away any blood near the spine and pat the fish very dry, because blood muddies the flavor and moisture fights the browning.

2. 2

   Brine the hokke

   Dissolve the salt in the cold water, then stir in the sake. Slip the fish into the brine for 25 to 30 minutes, weighting it lightly with a plate if it floats. The brine seasons evenly all the way across the opened flesh, and the sake helps clean the aroma without covering the fish.

   Don't make the brine stronger to hurry it along. Too much salt tightens the surface before the inside is seasoned.
3. 3

   Dry the surface

   Lift the fish from the brine, rinse it briefly, and pat it dry. Set it skin-side down on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, until the flesh looks slightly translucent and feels tacky, not wet. This drying is the heart of the dish: it concentrates flavor and lets the skin crisp under heat.

   A rack matters because air needs to reach both sides. If the fish sits in its own moisture, it stews before it grills.
4. 4

   Heat the grill

   Heat a fish grill, broiler, or well-oiled grill pan to medium-high. Brush or wipe the grate with oil, then start the hokke skin-side down. The first contact sets the skin, and a hot surface keeps it from tearing when you turn it.

5. 5

   Grill until crisp

   Grill skin-side down for 6 to 7 minutes, then turn carefully and cook the flesh side for 3 to 5 minutes more. The skin should be blistered and crisp in patches, the edges browned, and the flesh should separate in large flakes when nudged with chopsticks. Pull it before it dries hard. We dried the surface to concentrate the fish, not to turn dinner into roof tile.

6. 6

   Serve simply

   Transfer the hokke to a long plate or shallow stoneware dish, skin-side visible if it is handsomely blistered. Set grated daikon and a citrus wedge to one side, with soy sauce offered separately. Squeeze citrus over the fish and touch the daikon with a few drops of soy at the table, so the fish stays clean and nothing is hidden under sauce.

Chef Tips

• •If your Japanese market sells good hokke no hiraki already dried, buy it. That is not a shortcut in the foolish sense. It is using the maker who has the fish, the salt, and the drying room.
• •Ask the fishmonger when the fish came in and whether it smells clean at the gills. Hokke is best in cold months when the flesh is richer, and shun does more for this dish than any clever hand.
• •Drying in the refrigerator works because cold moving air pulls moisture from the surface without warming the fish. Set it on a rack and leave it uncovered. Covered fish stays damp.
• •Serve with rice, miso soup, and one vegetable side. This is the method, not the menu: grilled fish, rice, soup, and something green make a complete table.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish can be brined and dried up to 12 hours ahead, kept uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator.
• •If using store-bought dried hokke, keep it refrigerated and grill it the day you open the package.
• •Grate the daikon just before serving. It loses its fresh bite if it sits too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)