sake lees

Kasuzuke, or sake lees pickle, is a type of tsukemono (Japanese pickles) made with sake lees, the leftover from the refining process of sake production. With a deep aroma and slightly alcoholic flavor, Kasuzuke is perfect for marinating fish, meat, and vegetables.

Tsukemono - Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pickling)

lb sake lees (sake kasu) ((434 g; at room temperature))

Tbsp miso ((40 g; I used White Miso/Shiro Miso))

Tbsp sugar ((60 g))

salt

Tbsp sake ((45 ml))

Japanese cucumbers ((500 g))

Kasudoko ((ingredients above))

Gather all the ingredients for Kasudoko. Put sake lees in a medium bowl and bring it to room temperature on the counter so it becomes much more pliable.

Check the texture of sake lees with your fingers. If they feel solid firm, add sake first and microwave for a few seconds until it becomes pliable. Otherwise, combine sake lees with miso, sugar, and salt first.

Using your hand, mix the ingredients and knead well until well combined.

Add sake a little bit at a time to combine with the sake lee mixture. See the consistency to see if you need to add more sake. Each sake lee brand may have a different consistency and you may not need all of sake (or you may need more). The consistency you’re looking for is similar to miso, not too loose not too hard.

Knead until kasudoko becomes paste form and then transfer to a glass container where you want to pickle your ingredients.

Gather all the ingredients for cucumber kasuzuke.

Sprinkle salt over cucumbers. The amount of salt used is 2% of the weight of cucumber. Here I use 500 grams of cucumbers; therefore, I’ll need 10 grams of salt. Using hands, rub the salt into the cucumbers.

Set aside for 1 hour. Salt will draw moisture from the cucumbers.

After 1 hour, dry the moisture on the cucumbers with a paper towel. And transfer the cucumbers into the misodoko.

Completely cover the cucumbers with misodoko.

Once the cucumbers are embedded, cover the container with the lid. Store in the refrigerator for half day (maximum 24 hours).

With clean hands, take out the cucumbers from kasudoko, leaving the sake lees in the container.

Slice the cucumbers and serve in a dish. Tsukemono is always served along with steamed rice and miso soup. Enjoy the cucumber kasuzuke within 3 days.

To Make Cucumber Kasuzuke

You can keep kasudoko in the refrigerator or freezer and re-use it for up to 6 months (depending on how often you use it, though). If you use kasudoko for seafood or meat, NEVER use it for ingredients that you will serve raw, such as vegetables. You will need to make a separate batch just for meat or fish. If your kasudoko smells sour or becomes watery, discard it.

To Store

With the deep sake and elegant flavor, Salmon Kasuzuke (sake lees marinated salmon) is a classic Japanese dish to impress your dinner guests.

Salmon Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Marinated Salmon)

lb salmon ((4 fillets, 434 g))

kasudoko ((click to see the recipe))

Gather all the ingredients.

Sprinkle salt on both sides of salmon and set aside for 30 minutes.

Remove the excess moisture on the salmon with a paper towel.

Place the salmon in the kasudoko. All sides must be covered completely.

Marinate in the kasudoko for 6-24 hours.

Take out the salmon and wipe off the kasudoko as much as possible. Some recipes may say to rinse off the miso with water, but I do my best to remove with hand or paper towel.

Place the salmon on top of the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To Prepare for Cooking

Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 6&quot; (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the middle) for 3 minutes. Broil the salmon for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the surface is blistered and brown and inside is opaque and flaky. You do not need to flip it. Kasuzuke burns easily, so you need to watch closely as it cooks. *Typical broiler setting: Low/450ºF/232ºC, Medium/500ºF/260ºC, and High/550ºF/288ºC. I use medium or high.

To Broil (Recommended)

Preheat the oven to 425°F/218ºC with a rack placed in the middle and bake the salmon on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes.

To Bake (Optional)

Transfer to individual plates and serve immediately.

To Serve

You can re-use kasudoko for up to 6 months. If it gets watery, I recommend discarding it. Make sure to refrigerate and reuse for salmon or another type of fish. I do not like to mix with meat. You can NEVER use this kasudoko to pickle vegetables or any food that you eat raw.

What to do with Kasudoko

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Top 2 sake lees recipes from across the web

The most viewed sake lees recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Tsukemono - Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Pic...

Salmon Kasuzuke (Sake Lees Marinate...

The most viewed sake lees recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine