Maguro Zuke Don (Soy-marinated Tuna Bowl)

Serves 4

Maguro Zuke Don (Soy-marinated Tuna Bowl)

Introduction

When we started selling local bluefin tuna on our online shop, we reached out to our friends who help run our shacks in Japan, Hide and Yu, to see what they would make with this beautiful fish. They came up with a super simple and straightforward recipe. In their own words: “Maguro zuke don is a simple yet umami-packed meal. ‘Zuke’ means to marinate and ‘don’ is short for donburi, which means rice bowl. The soy sauce, mirin, sake and dashi broth combination used in the marinade provides a rich umami flavor to the tuna for a distinctive Japanese taste that is sure to impress your family and friends.”


Ingredients

Tuna Bowl Ingredients:

  • 5 to 10 pieces (about 2 lb) of Gulf of Maine bluefin tuna toro 
  • 5-6 oz. sushi rice
  • 1 large piece of nori seaweed
  • Wasabi
  • Scallions
  • Sesame seeds
  • Lemon, sliced
  • White radish sprouts


Seasoning Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp mirin
  • 4 Tbsp sake
  • 4 Tbsp dashi broth

Directions

  1. Dry excess moisture from the surface of tuna.
  2. Mix all of the seasoning ingredients in a small pot. Heat over high heat and stop the heat right before it boils. Make sure not to let it boil as boiling will add unwanted bitterness to marinate.
  3. Add the seasoning ingredients to a large plate or tray, using only about 1/3 of the mixture.
  4. Carefully place tuna slices over soy sauce mixture.
  5. Brush another third of the soy sauce mixture on top of the tuna slices. Try to keep about 1/3 of the soy sauce mixture for later use. If you run out, make the seasoning again while you rest the tuna.
  6. Cover and marinate tuna and soy mixture in the fridge for about 4 hours. Make sure to at least marinate for 2 hours. 
  7. Place sushi rice In a serving bowl, with thinly cut nori seaweed on top of the rice. Using a cooking brush, pour a bit of soy sauce mixture on top of the rice.
  8. Place tuna slices on top and brush the remaining soy sauce mixture on top of the tuna slices.
  9. Garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, wasabi, cut lemon and white radish sprouts.