Traditional Yellowtail or Tuna Teriyaki

By
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and author of four cookbooks. He has expertise in wild foods and has written over 1,000 recipes.
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Updated on 01/12/22
Yellowtail teriyaki
Datacraft Co Ltd / Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
459 Calories
19g Fat
9g Carbs
54g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 459
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 125mg 42%
Sodium 1110mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 6mg 32%
Calcium 59mg 5%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 1028mg 22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This is a traditional recipe for yellowtail, a type of jackfish also called Hamachi in Japan, glazed with teriyaki sauce made the old-fashioned way. Modern teriyakis are often too sweet and, while you need the sugar to help caramelize the sauce, too much makes a dish cloyingly sweet. Don't worry about the ​mirin needed here, as it is readily available in most supermarkets. This is a very simple recipe that takes very little time to prepare―and you can use other fish. We'd recommend tuna, swordfish, mackerel, striped bass, bluefish, catfish, or cobia.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds yellowtail, or other fish steaks, as described above

  • Salt, to taste

  • 1/4 cup sake

  • 1/4 cup mirin, Japanese sweet wine

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1 heaping teaspoon sugar

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil, or vegetable oil

Steps to Make It

  1. To prepare the fish: Salt the fish steaks well and set aside at room temperature for 15 to 25 minutes.

  2. To make the teriyaki sauce: In a small pot, bring the sake, mirin and soy sauce to a boil and stir in the sugar. Turn off the heat and set aside.

  3. To cook the fish: Using a large sauté pan, get the peanut oil almost to a smoking point over high heat.

  4. Run the edge of a butter knife along the skin side of the fish steaks, scraping off any moisture.

  5. Turn the heat down to medium-high and lay the fish steaks―skin-side down―in the pan.

  6. You might need to press down on them with a spatula to keep the skin from arching up. It'll relax in a minute or so.

  7. Cook the fish 2/3 of the way on the skin side, then flip. It should come off easily, as the skin will be crispy. If you have skinless pieces of fish, just cook it 2/3 on one side.

  8. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and turn the heat down to medium. Spoon some on the skin side of the steak and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, longer if the steak is very thick.

  9. Flip the steak one more time to set the teriyaki glaze. Gently shake the pan so it doesn't stick. Cook for 1 minute.

  10. Serve immediately with steamed rice and a salad.