Taking the fish grill beyond fish

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:51 JST, February 8, 2022

Most people use the built-in fish grill usually right under the gas cooker in their homes solely for grilling fish, but you can cook food such as meat and vegetables quickly and easily with it.

Cooking expert Yuko Musashi — who says chicken and Salisbury steaks are especially delicious when cooked using the broiler — shared some recipes.

The temperature inside the grill can go up to about 400 C — higher than an oven.

Musashi, who has been exploring grilling recipes for more than 20 years, said, “The grill under the stove is too good to be used only for grilling fish.”

The first recipe she recommends is a Peking duck-style chicken thigh. Grilling makes it an easy dish that looks like fine Chinese cuisine. The surface of the chicken becomes browned and crispy, yet the inside is soft and juicy.

Peking duck-style chicken thigh

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):

1 chicken thigh

½ tbsp sesame oil

½ tbsp sweet soy bean sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cucumber

1 pack of white radish sprouts

Boston lettuce as needed

6 thin slices of bread with no crusts

Directions:

1. Remove the excess fat from the chicken and prick the meat with a fork in five or six places, front and back.

2. Put the chicken piece in a plastic bag with sweet soy bean sauce, sesame oil, sugar and soy sauce. Rub thoroughly and leave for at least 30 minutes. Placing the marinated chicken in the refrigerator overnight will allow the flavors to soak in.

3. If your broiler only heats from the top, grill the chicken skin-side down over high heat for seven to eight minutes, then turn the chicken over and grill for another four to five minutes. With a broiler that heats from both the top and the bottom, grill the chicken skin-side down over high heat for 10 to 12 minutes without turning. If the skin starts to burn, flatten out a piece of aluminum foil and place it on top.

4. When the chicken is grilled, cut it into narrow strips.

5. If you would like to have sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of sweet soy bean sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

patties in a grill.

6. Serve the meat along with bread stretched out with a rolling pin, shredded cucumbers, de-rooted white radish sprouts and Boston lettuce leaves. Wrap the ingredients in bread and dip in the sauce as you like.

Salisbury steak, the second recipe Musashi recommends, also has a crispy surface, with the grill helping anyone become like a professional chef. Vegetables can also be cooked on the grill, she said.

Salisbury steak

Ingredients (serves 2):

200 grams minced pork and beef

¼onion

½ egg

½ cup or less bread crumbs

2 tbsp milk

⅓ tsp salt

A pinch of pepper

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp Worcester sauce

1 king oyster mushroom

4-6 cherry tomatoes

100 grams Chinese yam

Directions:

1. Chop the onion as finely as possible and soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

2. Add salt and pepper to the minced meat and mix well until it becomes sticky, then add the egg.

3. Add the chopped onion and bread crumbs in the mixture, and knead well. Create a flat circle about 1.5 to 2 centimeters thick.

4. Tear the king oyster mushroom and toss with oil. Put the cherry tomatoes in an aluminum cup. Cut the Chinese yam into quarters lengthwise. Put the vegetables into the broiler and cook with the hamburger patties, but take the vegetables out after about five to six minutes.

5. If the grill only heats on the top, preheat the broiler for about 90 seconds. Place the hamburger patties on aluminum foil and grill over high heat for five minutes on one side, then turn and cook for another five minutes. If the grill heats from both sides, place the meat on the grill and cook for about eight minutes without turning. Wipe off any fat that accumulates on the aluminum foil with paper towels.

6. Mix the tomato ketchup and Worcester sauce to make the sauce. Pour over the hamburger steak, put the vegetables on the side and serve.

It is important to clean off the grease after using the fish grill to avoid a fire, Musashi said.

“You can cook other dishes while the grill is being used,” Musashi added.