How many types of sushi do you know? The most common kinds of sushi in Japan are nigiri sushi, maki sushi, temaki sushi, chirashi sushi, temari sushi, and Inari sushi. Have you tried them all already? Today, I’ll introduce another popular variety called pressed sushi or oshizushi (押し寿司). Among this type of sushi, the most popular one is Mackerel Pressed Sushi or Saba Oshizushi (鯖の押し寿司), so let’s make it today!
What is Pressed Sushi (Oshizushi)?
Pressed sushi or oshizushi is made with sushi rice cured fish that are layered into a special box called oshibako (押し箱). The ingredients then are compressed together into a tightly pack sushi stack. Today’s Mackerel Pressed Sushi recipe features vinegar-cured mackerel, shiso leaves, and sushi rice. You may have seen fancier pressed sushi with multiple layers of sushi rice, seafood, and other ingredients. Oshibako creates a perfectly rectangular shape, and if you are ambitious, you can make eye-catching pressed sushi with a checkered pattern using colorful toppings. Maybe someday for me!
Battera vs. Mackerel Pressed Sushi
Those of you who are from Osaka or have traveled there may have heard of battera (バッテラ)—a type of pressed sushi made with vinegar-pickled mackerel and sushi rice in a wooden box. What’s the difference between saba oshizushi and battera? With battera, a superthin and almost translucent sheet of kombu is placed on top of the mackerel before it’s cut and served. The addition of kombu is unique to the regional Osaka cuisine. The name “battera” doesn’t sound so Japanese, does it? That’s because the name derived from the Portuguese word bateria or “small boat” as the sushi made using the original method without the box looked very similar to a small ship from the side.
What You Need To Make Mackerel Pressed Sushi
1. Sushi Rice
When Japanese people talk about “sushi rice,” we’re referring to steamed rice seasoned with sushi vinegar called sushizu (すし酢). If you want to learn how to make sushi rice correctly from scratch, follow my recipe How To Make Sushi Rice with a video tutorial. Sushizu is pretty simple to make with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. However, did you know you can find two types of rice vinegar on the Japanese condiment isle? There’s regular rice vinegar, and then there’s “seasoned” rice vinegar that is basically sushi vinegar specifically made to quickly prepare sushi rice! When you’re in a hurry, it’s really convenient to just reach for the ready-for-use sushi vinegar instead of whisking your own. Today, I used Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar to make delicious sushi rice for this Mackerel Pressed Sushi recipe.
2. Vinegar-Pickled Mackerel (Shime Saba)
For this recipe, you will need a special type of mackerel, not a fresh one. Mackerel is known to spoil easily, so the best way to preserve the fish is to cure it with vinegar. Cured and marinated mackerel is called shime saba (しめ鯖) in Japanese. You can easily find pre-marinated and packaged shime saba in the frozen section of Japanese or Asian grocery stores. The same brand shime saba I find is a bit cheaper at the Korean grocery store than the Japanese store in my area. Since the mackerel fillet is uneven, being thicker in the middle and thinner toward the edge, I cut the fillet in half lengthwise and then butterfly each piece from the cut edge. If you have a kitchen torch, I recommend searing the skin of the mackerel for an additional layer of flavor. When seared, we say aburi mackerel, aburi salmon, aburi toro, and so on. In Japanese, aburu 炙る is a verb; aburi 炙り is a noun and adjective.
3. Oshibako (Sushi Press)
You will need an oshibako (押し箱), or sometimes called oshizushihako (押し寿司箱) or hakozushigata (箱寿司型). It is a wooden box or mold, made of 3 parts: a bottom part, the rectangular walls, and a top part. The top and bottom parts resemble a traditional Japanese geta (wooden sandal). Before you use the oshibako, you will need to moisten the three parts so the rice will not stick to them. To assemble, you place the bottom part and then the rectangular wall part. After you place the ingredients inside, position the top part and put all your body weight down to compress the sushi. You can remove the box once you finished pressing. Wash the mold thoroughly and allow it to dry.
Do we need oshibako to make pressed sushi?
For those of you who wish to try this recipe without using an oshibako, you can get away with your own makeshift box. Use a rectangular/square container or bento box lined with plastic wrap so you can pull out the sushi later. You will also need something flat that fits inside the box to press down the sushi.
Ingredients for Saba Oshizushi
uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice water – to cook the rice frozen marinated mackerel fillet (shime saba) – defrosted in the refrigerator overnight shiso leaves seasoned rice vinegar (sushi vinegar) – (I used Kikkoman® Seasoned Rice Vinegar; or make my homemade sushi vinegar with unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar, and salt
Variations and Substitutions for Pressed Sushi
You can use other types of fish, seafood, and veggies for oshizushi. Here are some ideas:
smoked salmon – another popular variety as it’s easy to get! thinly sliced vegetables – use a vegetable peeler unagi (freshwater eel) thin egg crepe – you can make Usuyaki Tamago imitation crab cooked butterflied shrimp – like the one you find on nigiri sushi
Be creative! Let us know what ingredients you used in the comments section.
How To Make Mackerel Pressed Sushi
5 Best Tips for Perfect Pressed Sushi
Here are my 5 best tips for making oshizushi. Practice definitely helps. As you make more oshizushi, your sushi will be neater and prettier. I could spend more time improving my oshizushi skills, too! Whether your pressed sushi turn out perfect or slightly off shape, they will still look impressive at the dinner table. There is a touch of elegance to the presentation when sushi is shaped this way. I’d be so thrilled to see your creation, so please share your pictures with me! Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
