Spanish Mackerel Yuan-Yaki, A New Twist

The idea for this dish came from a meal I had at a certain restaurant about twenty years ago. Back then, teriyaki yellowtail (buri teriyaki) came out topped with shibazuke (purple pickled eggplant and cucumber), which struck me as strange, but when I tasted it, it went well with rice and also worked as a drinking snack -- there was nothing off about it. So this time, I thought about pairing that same shibazuke with cheese to make something delicious. Once it's combined with shibazuke, it stops tasting like plain cheese, and it goes well with both rice and sake. It's a dish we've served at an event held at the restaurant, and it's gotten a good response.

1. Combine dark soy sauce, mirin, and sake in equal thirds, add sliced rounds of yuzu, and marinate the Spanish mackerel (sawara) fillet in it.

2. After about 30 minutes, lift it out of the marinade, skewer it, and grill it once; then top it with caciocavallo cheese and grill again until it takes on some char.

3. Top the grilled Spanish mackerel with chopped shibazuke.