"Aburi shime saba"

Now for a little hardcore Japanese cuisine! "Aburi" roughly translated means "seared with a flame"--in this case a butane cooking torch, my husband's pride and joy. Shime saba is mackerel fish that has been soaked in vinegar. You can eat it directly (yes, it is raw), but it is much better just lightly seared with a torch. In Japan they make fabulous aburi sushi (anything really can be aburi and in fact, I think most sushi SHOULD be, it is just so darn good!). The light searing brings out the flavour in such a unique and intense way, there is really nothing quite like it. Even if you are not a sushi or fish lover, you really should try something prepared in the aburi style--it might just change your mind. If you are ever in the Vancouver area, a restaurant called Miku in West Hastings makes fabulous aburi sushi. Just be sure to dress nice as it is a fairly fancy place (as I soon found out in my flip flops!).

If you can find shime saba in the frozen section of your asian grocery store, I highly recommend it. The vinegar flavour is very refreshing, especially on hot days. Because mackerel goes bad quickly, the Japanese developed this method of preparation to prevent food poisoning. It just so happens to be delicious too!