Oven-baked Sawara (Spanish mackerel) with tomato and cheese

Sawara no tomato cheese yaki（サワラのトマトチーズ焼き）

What kind of dish is Sawara no tomato cheese yaki??

This dish is made by placing sawara fish and plenty of vegetables in a heat-resistant dish, topping it with butter, soy sauce, and cheese, and baking it in the oven.

The combination of butter and soy sauce, which brings out the flamboyance of Western cuisine and the delicacy of Japanese cuisine, is very popular in Japan.

In addition, this recipe is topped with cheese, which adds a fragrant and rich flavor and deepens the flavor.

These ingredients are both fermented foods, so they go very well together.

Sawara is a fish with just the right amount of fat and soft, juicy flesh.

It’s also a good idea to substitute salmon or yellowtail depending on your preference.

It’s really easy to make, so please give this recipe a try.

What is umami?？

Spanish mackerel contains a large amount of ”inosinic acid”, which has an 【umami taste】.

In fact, umami was discovered by the Japanese about 100 years ago. Until umami was discovered, taste was thought to consist of four elements: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.

Umami is a flavor that does not fit into any of these four categories. Umami means deliciousness.

It is known that the components of umami are amino acids such as guanylic acid, inosinic acid, and glutamic acid.

In Japan, dashi soups fromkelp (kombu), bonito flakes, and shiitake mushrooms have been used since ancient times. Kelp (kombu) contains glutamic acid, bonito flakes contain inosinic acid, and shiitake mushrooms contain guanylic acid.

Glutamic acid is also found in large amounts in tomatoes and cheese.

Combining glutamic acid and inosinic acid has a synergistic effect that doubles the flavor.

In this dish, the inosinic acid in the Spanish mackerel and the glutamic acid in the tomatoes and cheese combine to give the dish a deep flavor.

NUTRITION FACTS of Oven-baked Sawara (Spanish mackerel) with tomato and cheese

• 346 kcal
• Protein 28.6 g
• Fat 21.8 g
• Carb 10.3 g
• Salt Equivalent 3.2 g

INGREDIENTS for Oven-baked Sawara (Spanish mackerel) with tomato and cheese (2SERVINGS)

• Spanish mackerel 2 slices 200g
  • salt 1g
• Onion 120g
• Shiitake mushroom 45g
• Tomato 100g
  • Butter 15g
  • Soy sauce 20g
  • Cheese 50g
• Parsley appropriate amount

You can also make this dish deliciously using shimeji or maitake mushrooms instead of shiitake mushrooms.

Oven-baked Sawara (Spanish mackerel) with tomato and cheese COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 250°C (250°C is 482°F).
2. Wipe the surface of the sawara with paper towels to remove moisture.
3. Sprinkle salt on the sawara.
4. Chop the peeled onion into 5mm pieces.
5. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
6. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and then cut them into cubes
7. Place the onion, sawara, shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes on a baking dish.
8. Place the sawara on top of the vegetables.
9. Dice the butter.
10. Sprinkle the butter evenly.
11. Drizzle soy sauce over the entire surface.
12. Top with cheese and add parsley.
13. Place baking tray on middle rack of oven and bake for 20 minutes.

In the photo below, I used salmon instead of sawara. I put mayonnaise on it before putting cheese on top. This is also a recommended way to eat it.

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