Yellowtail Teriyaki

Before You Start...

1. If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend cooking it up to a day before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
2. Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Garnish (optional)

1. Cut the white part of 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. You will need one piece per serving. Make small slits or holes in 4 shishito peppers by poking the skin with a knife tip.
2. Heat a large frying pan and dry roast the negi and shishito peppers (without applying any oil). When they achieve a nice char, transfer to a plate and set aside.

To Make the Yellowtail Teriyaki

1. In a bowl, combine the seasonings for the teriyaki sauce: 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Whisk it all together.
2. Sprinkle 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt on both sides of 2 fillets yellowtail (hamachi, buri) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, pat it dry with a paper towel.
3. Coat all sides of the fish with 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and remove the excess flour.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, sear the fish skin for 15 seconds or so by pressing down on the pan. Then, place the fish “front“ side down and cook until nicely seared, about 2–3 minutes. Tip: This front side of the fish will face up on the serving plate.
5. Flip the fish over and cover the pan with a lid. Lower the heat a little bit and cook for an additional 1–2 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and wipe off the excess oil in the frying pan. Pour the teriyaki sauce into the pan.
7. Spoon the sauce over the fish while the sauce is thickening. Do not flip over the fish as it can break down and fall apart. Tilt the pan if necessary to scoop the sauce with a spoon. Once the sauce gets syrupy, turn off the heat.

To Serve

1. Transfer the Yellowtail Teriyaki to individual serving plates “front“ side up. Drizzle the sauce over the fish. Garnish with the grilled negi (optional) and shishito peppers (optional) on the side. If you‘re serving this as part of your Osechi meal for Japanese New Year, cool it completely before packing it into a jubako (3-tiered box).

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1 day and in the freezer for a week.