Saba shioyaki

Name: Saba shioyaki
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 300 g mackerel, 2 skin-on fillets, pin-boned; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp sake (optional); 100 g daikon, finely grated and lightly squeezed (optional); ½ lemon, cut into wedges (optional); 1 tsp soy sauce (optional)

Non-vegetarian

鯖の塩焼き · saba no shioyaki

Mackerel fillets salted to firm the flesh and draw out moisture, then grilled until the skin blisters — served with grated daikon and lemon.

Saba shioyaki is a Japanese main course, ready in about 35 minutes and made with mackerel and salt. It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Delicious grilled mackerel on a barbecue grill, perfect for a flavorful lunch. — Photo: Julia Filirovska / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Rest: 20 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 2
Level: Easy
Calories: 308

Ingredients

2 servings

300 g Mackerel (opens in a new tab), 2 skin-on fillets, pin-bonedContains fish
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Some of the salt is lost with the liquid it draws out.
1 tbsp (15 g) Sake (opens in a new tab) (optional)
100 g Daikon (opens in a new tab), finely grated and lightly squeezed (optional)
½ (43 g) Lemon (opens in a new tab), cut into wedges (optional)
1 tsp (5.5 g) Soy sauce (opens in a new tab) (optional)A few drops over the daikon.Swap: Tamari (Use tamari labelled gluten-free to avoid wheat.)Contains soy, wheat, gluten

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Brush the fillets with sake (opens in a new tab) if using, then sprinkle salt evenly over both sides. Leave for 20 minutes.
- 2 min
2
Step 2
Pat off the moisture that beads on the surface. Cut a shallow cross in the skin so it doesn't curl.
- 2 min
3
Step 3
Grill skin-side up under a very hot grill, about 10 cm from the heat, until the skin is blistered and golden and the flesh is opaque.
- 9 min
- high heat
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Baking tray / sheet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Cook fish until it flakes easily (63 °C).
How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels
4
Step 4
Serve with a mound of grated daikon (opens in a new tab) dressed with a few drops of soy sauce (opens in a new tab), and lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Japan · Well documentedMore food from Japan
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Grills & kebabs
Cooking method: Broiled / grilled under heat, Grilled
Taste: salty, rich, umami, mild
Diet: Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No gluten ingredients, Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Minimal cleanup
Cook more with: Mackerel
Techniques: Grilling · Broiling · Charcoal grilling

Allergens

Contains: Fishfrom mackerel
Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

308 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 153 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

Protein 37%
Carbohydrate 0%
Fat 63%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	308 kcal	201 kcal
Protein	27.9 g	18.2 g
Carbohydrate	0 g	0 g
Net carbohydrate	0 g	0 g
Sugars	0 g	0 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0 g	0 g
Fat	20.8 g	13.6 g
Saturated fat	4.9 g	3.2 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	105 mg	69 mg
Sodium	1300 mg	850 mg
Salt equivalent	3.3 g	2.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 471 mg
Calcium: 19 mg
Iron: 2.5 mg
Magnesium: 114 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 75 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 24.2 µg
Vitamin B12: 13.1 µg
Folate (DFE): 2 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: sake, daikon, lemon, soy sauce.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Line the tray with foil — mackerel fat spits and smokes.

Common mistakes

Skipping the 20-minute salting: it firms the flesh and draws out the fishy-smelling moisture.
Not patting off the beaded liquid, so the skin steams instead of blistering.

Serve with

The centre of a classic Japanese breakfast with rice, miso soup and pickles.

Storage

Best freshly grilled; refrigerate leftovers for 1 day.

Variations

Sanma shioyaki: Whole Pacific saury salt-grilled in the same way in autumn.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Mackerel, 2 skin-on fillets, pin-boned300 g
Daikon, finely grated and lightly squeezed (optional)100 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Salmon teriyaki
Japanese · 17 min · 439 kcal
Chicken teriyaki
Japanese · 25 min · 188 kcal
Tonkatsu
Japanese · 35 min · 712 kcal
Katsudon
Japanese · 40 min · 1003 kcal