This is one of the most delicious ways I have encountered to cook mackerel, which some people avoid because of its strong taste. However it is one of the cheapest fish you can buy, is healthy and one of the few species of fish that Greenpeace still recommends (together with herring and carp). Filleting mackerel can be a bit of work but if you get it filleted in the shop then it is a very simple & fast recipe.
500 g of mackerel filets
180 ml sake
120 ml mirin
80 ml dark soy sauce
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
pinch sugar
In a heavy sauce pan, heat saké until just simmering. Lay in mackerel filets, skin side up. Bring saké back to a quick boil, add mirin, bring back to boil. Sprinkle with ginger, add soy sauce, bring back to boil. (Waiting for the liquid to boil each time when adding fluids is supposed to rid the mackerel of odor.) Finally add the sugar. Cover with a wooden drop-lid or a circle of baking paper with a venting hole cut in the middle. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes or until fish is tender.
Serve with Japanese sticky rice and miso soup.
Source: Japanese Cooking, a simple art by Shizuo Tsuji
