Description
Yūan-style Grilled Fish is a delicate Japanese-inspired recipe featuring tender blue eye trevalla fillets marinated in a savory mixture of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and yuzu juice. The fish is carefully salted, marinated, and then grilled under an oven broiler to achieve a flavorful and lightly charred finish. Perfect for a light and healthy meal with authentic Asian flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Fish
- 4 x 100g (3.5oz) blue eye trevalla fillets
- A few pinches of salt
Marinade
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp yuzu juice
Instructions
- Salt the Fish: Sprinkle salt evenly over the blue eye trevalla fillets and let them rest for 30 minutes. This process helps to firm up the flesh. After 30 minutes, pat the fillets dry to remove any excess moisture.
- Prepare Marinade and Marinate Fish: In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, cooking sake, mirin, and yuzu juice to create the Yūan Marinade. Place the fish fillets into a ziplock bag or shallow tray, pour the marinade over them, and let them marinate for 1 hour. Turn the fillets or shake the bag occasionally to ensure even marinade coverage.
- Preheat the Grill: Preheat your oven grill or broiler to high temperature, preparing it for the fish.
- Prepare Baking Tray: Cover a baking tray with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on top. This setup allows heat to circulate evenly around the fillets during grilling.
- Place the Fish on Rack: Remove the fillets from the marinade, letting excess marinade drip back into the container (do not discard marinade). Arrange the fillets skin side down on the wire rack.
- Grill the Fish – Initial Sear: Position the tray about 10cm (4 inches) below the heat source in the grill. Grill the fish for about 1 minute or until the surface turns whitish. Then, baste the fillets with the reserved marinade to keep them moist and flavorful.
- Continue Grilling and Basting: Grill the fish for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, basting the surface every minute with the marinade to build layers of flavor and prevent drying out.
- Flip and Finish Grilling: Carefully turn the fillets over and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes, continuing to baste regularly with the marinade to ensure an even glaze and thorough cooking.
- Remove and Rest: Once cooked through and nicely browned, remove the fillets from the grill and let them rest briefly.
- Serve: Plate each fillet individually and garnish with a wedge of lime or lemon for a fresh citrus accent to complement the flavors.
Notes
- Note 1: Blue eye trevalla is preferred for its firm flesh and mild flavor, but you can substitute with other firm white fish like barramundi or cod.
- Note 2: Yuzu juice imparts a distinctive citrus aroma; if unavailable, you can substitute with a mix of lemon and lime juice for a comparable effect.
- Note 3: Keep the marinade used for basting to enhance flavor and moisture during grilling.
- Note 4: Frequent basting ensures the fish stays moist and develops a beautiful glaze.
- Note 5: The lime or lemon wedge adds a bright finishing touch and balances the savoriness of the fish.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Yūan style grilled fish, Japanese grilled fish, blue eye trevalla recipe, yuzu marinade fish, healthy grilled fish, oven broiler fish recipe
