Shoyu-Sugar Naʻenaʻe

Naʻenaʻe gets called a rubbish fish by people who never cooked one right. Simmered local-style in sweet shoyu and ginger — nitsuke, if your grandma was Japanese — the flesh turns silky and takes on the glaze. Cheap-fish cooking that eats like a treat.

Ingredients

• 1 whole naʻenaʻe (1–2 lb), gutted, scaled and scored — or 1 lb fillets
• ⅓ cup shoyu
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ¼ cup sake (or water)
• 2 tbsp mirin (optional)
• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 2 stalks green onion, cut in lengths
• ½ cup water, to thin as needed

Method

1. Combine the shoyu, sugar, sake, mirin, water, and ginger in a pan wide enough to lay the fish flat. Bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Slide the fish in and spoon the sauce over the top.
3. Simmer with the lid ajar, 8–10 minutes for a whole fish (5–6 for fillets), basting every couple of minutes.
4. Remove the fish, then reduce the sauce for a minute or two until it coats a spoon lightly.
5. Plate the fish, pour the glaze over, top with green onion, and serve with hot rice.