Mackerel Sushi – Bento box

Mackerel Sushi - Bento Box

Mackerel Sushi – Japan is a country of opposites and contradictions. Both traditional and inventively modern with beautiful landscapes and bustling cities, Japan holds something for everyone and the food is as varied as the country itself. With a history of a largely vegetarian diet, Japan is renowned for fresh, seasonal ingredients and light, healthy meals.

Fresh and complex flavours of ramen noodles, rice dishes, miso soup or the comfort of Katsu curry have become favourites around the world. However, Japan is also known for its sense of fun and the engaging touches added to lunch boxes or bento boxes. Combine this with perhaps the best known of all Japanese food, sushi, and you have a winning combination. Here we share the makings of a classic bento box, with mackerel sushi. Delicious!

Mackerel sushi bento box

Mackerel Sushi Ingredients
A sheet of nori (Japanese dried seaweed)
Sushi rice (100g)
Golden caster sugar (1/2 a teaspoon)
Rice vinegar (a tablespoon)
Mayonnaise (a tablespoon)
Spring onions (finely chop 2)
Smoked mackerel (flake one fillet)
Red, orange or yellow pepper (approximately 6 thin slices)
Wasabi
Fresh or lightly pickled vegetables such as cucumber, radishes, carrots or edamame beans in their pods
Fresh fruit such as mango, melon, strawberry, blueberries, raspberries or apple slices

How to make and construct your sushi and bento box

Prepare the vegetables as appropriate. If using edamame beans, cook in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. For carrots, cucumber or radishes chop into small batons. If you choose to lightly pickle then put these in a mix of vinegar, sugar and salt (plus any whole spices you fancy for flavour). These will be ready to eat anytime from thirty minutes marinating but the longer they are left, the stronger the pickling. This can be a great item to prepare ahead of time and use throughout the week to add a bit of a kick to lunches.

For the mackerel sushi, the first step is to prepare the rice. If the packet has instructions then follow these for the best results. Ensure the rice has been well rinsed in cold water. The water should run clear when it has been washed enough. For 100g of rice, add it to a heavy saucepan with 200ml of water. Bring this to the boil and add the saucepan lid. Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed by this point so remove the saucepan from the heat but make sure you leave the lid on for an additional ten minutes.

While you leave the rice to cool down (put it in a large bowl to aid this process), combine the sugar, rice vinegar and a pinch of salt until the sugar has dissolved. Add this to the cooled rice and give it a mix.

Meanwhile, prepare the mackerel. Combine the mayonnaise, smoked mackerel and spring onions in a bowl and season it with pepper.

Now it is time to construct the mackerel sushi. Start by laying out the sheet of nori seaweed. Use a sushi rolling mat if you have one but if not, cling film will be fine. Ensure your hands are slightly damp and use them to spread out the rice onto the nori sheet covering two-thirds of it.

We have a sushi maker to help you make perfect sushi:

Use as much wasabi to suit your taste in a line down the middle of the rice and add the thinly sliced pepper. Next layer the mackerel mix on top. Finally roll the nori sheet into a log, starting from the rice covered end. Slightly wet the other end allowing it to stick. Then slice the log into thick pieces. You should get about six from one sheet of nori.

Place the sushi into your bento box or bento bag. The other compartments can be used for your prepared vegetables and fruit. All that remains is to enjoy your healthy and satisfying lunch!

We also have bento accessories to help you make sushi or decorate it for even more appeal. There is also a vast collection of sushi dishes, sushi tableware, sushi boats, and sushi bridges for displaying beautifully as a table centerpiece.

Bento Boxes and Bento Bags

Bento Box Recipes

Why not try some of our Bento Box Recipes!

Read more about The history of the Bento Box

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