Steps

1. Wash the saury and pat it dry.
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2. If the saury is too large, cut it in half to fit the pan.
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3. Sprinkle salt (to taste) evenly over the entire saury from a height. [Key Tip!] For fish with skin on, salt it just before cooking. Unlike fillets, there's no need to let it sit to draw out moisture.
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4. Lightly coat the frying pan with vegetable oil (a little).
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5. Arrange the saury in the pan, skin-side down, as this will be the presentation side.
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6. Grill over low to medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Cover with a lid if available. [Key Tip!] To ensure it cooks through, use medium-low heat and cook slowly, rather than high heat.
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7. Transfer the cooked saury to a plate, and serve with grated daikon radish (to taste) and sudachi lime (1 fruit). [Key Tip!] Drizzling a little soy sauce over the grated daikon radish enhances the flavor.
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8. Rinse the rice and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
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9. Peel the daikon radish and cut it into approximately 1cm cubes.
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10. Separate the shimeji mushrooms by hand.
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11. Dry-fry the shimeji mushrooms in the pan without oil until they become slightly crispy and release a fragrant aroma. [Key Tip!] This process removes moisture and concentrates the mushroom's flavor.
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12. Place the drained rice into a clay pot (or rice cooker).
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13. In a separate bowl, combine water (340cc), light soy sauce (20cc), dark soy sauce (10cc), and cooking sake (rice wine) (30cc). Mix well.
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14. Add the mixed seasoning, kombu dashi (3g), chopped daikon radish (150g), and dry-fried shimeji mushrooms (1 pack) to the rice in the clay pot.
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15. Place the clay pot over medium to high heat and bring to a boil.
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16. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, then switch to low heat and cook for 15 minutes.
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17. After cooking, turn off the heat and let it steam for 5 minutes.
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18. Flake the flesh of the salt-grilled saury, carefully removing any bones (including rib bones, belly bones, and small pin bones). Pay close attention to fine bones near the fins and the scales from the gut cavity. [Key Tip!] Flaking the fish lengthwise makes bone removal easier. Removing the gut cavity section, which may contain scales, improves the texture.
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19. Remove the kombu dashi from the steamed mixed rice, chop it finely, and return it to the pot.
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20. Add the flaked saury to the pot, cover again, and steam for another 5 minutes.
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21. Gently mix the cooked rice and serve into bowls.
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22. Garnish with chopped green onions (to taste) and white sesame seeds (a pinch). Squeeze fresh sudachi lime (1 fruit) over the top, if desired.
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