Simmered yellowtail is a beloved Japanese dish that’s perfect for warming up during the colder months. This traditional recipe uses the scraps and head of the fish, which are simmered to perfection with daikon radish in a flavorful broth until tender and delicious. The dish is typically served with steamed rice and garnished with green onions or other herbs, making it a hearty and comforting meal that’s easy to make at home. If you’re looking for a taste of authentic Japanese cuisine, give simmered yellowtail a try and savor the rich flavors of this classic dish.
Buri daikon (ぶり大根)
If buri daikon was a person, it would be warm and friendly.
Super soft-spoken and extremely reliable.
It’s best friends are winter and not the white snow that comes with it, but white rice.
It likes to decorate it’s hair with slivered pieces of ginger, not only for looks but to enhance the flavor.
If ginger isn’t around, mitsuba (Japanese parsley) or kaiware daikon (daikon sprouts) are alternative styles, also in season.
Do you think you would get along?
More about Buri aka Amberjack aka Yellowtail
Fish have many names and aliases, just like meat.
To make matters more complicated, the name can change depending on the region and the size of the fish. At least in Japan.
Aside from the name, and likely mislabeling either at the market or restaurant.
I like whatever fish that I’ve been eating that’s been labeled as ‘buri’.
Sometimes I like to eat my buri with teriyaki sauce (future episode), and sometimes I like to eat it as kasuzuke (sake lees, future episode 🙂 ).
Buri has a unique flavor that does well with relatively strong sauces.
Hence, the simmered dish we’re making today.
My favorite part of buri is the little fatty piece (the stomach area) of the fish.
Yes fish get fat there too.
Just like us humans.
That’s my favorite part of any fish. The fatty part. What’s yours?
You know, like salmon, black cod, mackerel etc. They all have that fatty stomach area that’s full of flavor.
Even better, since it’s fish fat, it also has omega 3’s (the good fats.)
So about this buri daikon…
This is a regional specialty of the area around Toyama Bay in Japan.
Traditionally, the leftovers of buri were used for this dish. e.g. after the meat has been taken.
However, we’re using the actual meat today. Not the leftovers.
We’re also going to cut back on the cooking time significantly. How?
The microwave!
Yes, that magical little machine that is rarely used in Western recipes.
Interesting why that is. Isn’t it?
I think the space constraints in the Japanese kitchen leads to more Japanese recipes that call for it. Pure speculation.
Anyways, we’re also skipping the traditional use of togijiru which is soaking the daikon radish in rice rinse water.
Will you notice? Perhaps… If you are a supertaster!
If you want to know more about togijiru, I went into a little more detail on togijiru in a previous cooking episode Daikon radish and Konnyaku Miso Dengaku (miso glaze)
Anyways, I spilled most of my secrets already.
Or did I?
Here’s the live replay –
I’ll see you next week at 6 PM PST !
PrintSimmered Yellowtail with Daikon Radish (Buri Daikon)
There’s nothing quite like eating simmered daikon radish. It’s soft and juicy and carries with it all the flavor you could ever want. All in one bite. Today, we’re pairing that little magic root with yellowtail and simmering them together. But, not without cheating. To save some time, we’ll be using something that isn’t used as much as it could be 😉 I wonder what that could be…
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
buri daikon
- 1.25–1.5 lbs daikon radish
- 4 pieces buri (yellowtail, amberjack) ((1/2–3/4 lb))
simmering sauce
- 400 ml water
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Cut and peel daikon radish. Roughly 1/2in thick and in half-moon pieces.
- Microwave the daikon for 3-4 minutes on high, or until you can pierce easily with a chopstick.
- Mix ingredients under simmering sauce and place into a medium size pot.
- Add in the buri pieces, and on top the daikon radish pieces. Ensure all pieces are submerged.
- Cover, leaving lid slightly off to reduce liquid and simmer for at least 15 minutes
- Serve with white rice!
- thinly sliced ginger, daikon sprouts, to garnish
I like that radish and never thought of simmering it. Thanks for the idea.
don’t forget the microwave either, microwave -> simmered = faster 🙂
Thanks.
I’ve yet to taste diakon. One day. 🙂
it’s pretty similar to regular radishes L:) is it difficult to find in your area?
Probably not. I just haven’t looked for it. I don’t eat regular radishes either. 🙂
it’s pretty similar to regular radishes 🙂 is it difficult to find in your area?