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Jakoten

The fish cake of Uwajima in Ehime: small whole fish ground down, bones, skin and all, seasoned only with salt, a little sugar and sake, then flattened into thin ovals and deep-fried until deep gold and springy. Eaten hot from the oil with grated daikon and a squeeze of lemon.

SnacksSidesPescatarian25g+ proteinUnder 20g carbs
45 min35 prep · 10 cookMedium772 kcalper serving
Jakoten

Instructions

  1. Scale 200 g of small whole fish, snap off the heads and pull out the guts, then rinse well under cold water and pat completely dry. In Uwajima the soft bones and skin are ground in with the flesh, which is what gives jakoten its grey colour and savoury depth, only lift out the backbone if your fish are larger than about 12 cm.
  2. Chop the fish roughly, then work it to a smooth, tacky paste, 2-3 minutes in a food processor, or 10 minutes pounding in a suribachi with the pestle, scraping down as you go. The paste should hold a peak and feel sticky, not grainy.
  3. Add 3 g of fine sea salt and beat for a further minute until the paste turns visibly glossier and stiffer, then work in 1 tsp of caster sugar, 2 tsp of sake, 1 tsp of mirin and 1 tbsp of potato starch. Cover and chill for 20 minutes so the paste firms up.

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Per serving

772kcal
39gprotein
17gcarbs
61gfat
4gfibre

Computed from the ingredients against a food database, not estimated. The full nutrient table is in the app.

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