Iriko Dashi (Anchovy Stock)

Ingredients

• ½ cup iriko or niboshi (dried baby sardines/anchovies) (.7 oz or 20 g) (See Notes)
• 4 cups water (1000 ml)

Directions

Gather all the ingredients.

1. I highly recommend removing the head and gut from the fish to reduce bitter flavor in iriko dashi. First, remove the head, and then around the belly area (bottom side), take out the gut inside (black color).
2. Continue with the rest of the iriko/niboshi. Discard the head and guts.
3. Soak the iriko/niboshi in the 4 cups of water for 20-30 minutes, preferably overnight.
4. Transfer the water and iriko/niboshi into a small saucepan and slowly bring the water to a boil.
5. When boiling, skim and reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and drain into a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl or measuring cup. Any extra dashi needs to be refrigerated and used within 3-5 days or freeze for later use.
7. If you don’t make it right away, you can freeze the leftover iriko/niboshi and defrost to make it later on.
8. You can season the leftover iriko with sweet soy sauce flavors just like how we make Tazukuri (Candied Sardine).

Notes

Iriko (いりこ) / Niboshi (煮干し) come in sizes between 1.5″ to 3″ long and are often sold in plastic bags at Japanese and Asian grocery stores. They have been boiled in salt water once and then dried.

The smaller baby anchovies have a milder flavor, and the larger ones have more umami. They are high in calcium and are a great source of Omega 3, protein and minerals.

In Japan, we enjoy these dried baby anchovies as a snack or use them to make soup stock. They are also a common ingredient in Korean, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines where they are used in many different ways!