Nitsuke

Ingredients


225g	cod fillets, skin on (or other white fish)
1g	Diamond Crystal kosher salt
75g	gobo (burdock root), cut into thin strips
1 knob	ginger (4cm), peeled and thinly sliced

Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fish. Rest 10–15 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
Soak kombu in the water to make a cold-brew dashi. Cut and soak gobo in water for 5–10 minutes, drain. Slice ginger.
Blanch the fish: bring water to a boil, turn off heat, add fish for 15–20 seconds until surface turns white. Transfer to ice water for 10 seconds, pat dry.
Add the kombu dashi, kombu, and sake to a saucepan. Place fish on top of the kombu, skin side up. Add gobo. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Skim scum. Remove kombu.
Add ginger, mirin, and sugar. Place a drop lid (otoshibuta) directly on the fish. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Lift the drop lid, add soy sauce. Replace lid and simmer another 5 minutes, spooning broth over the fish occasionally.
Turn off heat. Cool completely in the broth — this is where the fish absorbs moisture and flavor.
Reheat gently when ready to serve. Plate fish and gobo, spoon broth on top.

Salting draws out moisture and fishy odor. Don’t skip it, but keep it light — too much toughens the fish.
The blanch (shimo-furi) removes surface proteins and odor for a clean sauce. Just 15–20 seconds — you’re not cooking the fish.
Soy sauce goes in halfway through simmering. Adding salt early prevents sweetness from penetrating.
A drop lid keeps the fish intact, retains moisture, and circulates broth evenly. Make one from foil if you don’t have a wooden or metal one.
Cooling in the broth is the key step — the fish reabsorbs liquid and seasons deeply. Even better the next day.
Works with any white fish: yellowtail, black cod, flounder, snapper, rockfish.
Keeps refrigerated 2–3 days, frozen up to a month.