• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Japan

Authentic Japanese Home Cooking

  • Recipes
  • Everyone’s Favourites
  • Pantry Essentials
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy & Disclosure
    • Japanese Eating Etiquette
Home » Sides » Seafood Nuta (Miso Dressing) Two Ways

March 14, 2017 By Yumiko 6 Comments

Seafood Nuta (Miso Dressing) Two Ways

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe
Print Recipe

Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is Tuna and Shallots (Scallions) Nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.

Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.

The name nuta comes from the word “numata” (沼田) which means marshy rice field. The texture of the sauce resembles numata, so they shortened it to name the dressing “nuta”. In olden days, they called all the sauces with similar texture “nuta” but now it refers to the miso and vinegar based sauce. You might hear people calling this sauce “sumiso” ( 酢味噌) instead, which literally means vinegar miso.

I thought of making nuta because I ate tuna nuta on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa when I stayed there in late January. The story of how I ended up eating tuna nuta is quite memorable.

On the last day on Ishigaki Island, I woke up early. So I decided to stroll down to Ishigaki fishing port to see if the fishing boats were unloading the fish they caught. And there was one! I was so excited to see lots of yellow fin tuna being lifted up from the bottom of the fishing boat using a crane. They were moved to the vast area with only the roof where they pack to ship the tuna and auction the fish.

The fishing boat was out on the sea for 10 days and had just come back. I took many photos and talked to the captain of the fishing boat as well as the owner who was there with his family to see the day’s catch. I forgot the time and was there for over an hour until all the fish were unloaded.

Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.

Then the owner of the boat declared that he wanted to have a feast there immediately as it was the day after the Lunar New Year. The crew of the fishing boat were working on Lunar New Year’s Day and he could not celebrate the new year without the crew.

Apparently, people celebrate Lunar New Year in Okinawa instead of calendar new year which is celebrated in other parts of Japan. It is actually the same as the new year in Taiwan (Okinawa is very close to Taiwan so no wonder).

The owner got his men to bring awamori (泡盛, Okinawan sake) and make sashimi and other nibbles from the day’s catch. Then he told me to join them and bring my friends whom I had left behind at the lodging.

I had never eaten such fresh tuna and kingfish. No, it was not blue fin tuna, it was yellow fin tuna. But it was so fresh. Among the sashimi dishes was tuna nuta. The size of the tuna pieces in the nuta was just like tuna sashimi and it looked as though they just threw some sashimi in the sumiso dressing with sliced onions.

I did not see them making it but I could tell that the sashimi and tuna nuta were most likely made by the fishermen, not the wives. It looked quite manly, if you know what I mean, but it was just perfect to be there in the outdoor setting in the fishing port, with a large 1.8 litre (61oz) bottle of awamori.

At Ishigaki fishing port.

At Ishigaki fishing port, from left to right: yellow fin tuna being unloaded, tuna nuta with onion slices, 1.8L (61oz) bottle awamori (Okinawan sake) – you can only see half of the label but it has just one large kanji character “寿” (kotobuki) in gold which means celebrations.

We had a wonderful time there. Most travellers would not experience something like this and I thought we were lucky to meet very friendly and kind people. I found that people on the Ishigaki Islands are in general friendly, kind and happy. A couple of Ishigaki people said that it was because of the beautiful seas and beaches.

It was a long story but the tuna nuta I had with the fishermen inspired me to make today’s recipe. I used white miso instead of brown miso in my recipe for Tuna and Shallots Nuta. And tuna was cut into bite size cubes. Then I thought of making another nuta with brown miso and present it differently. Now you get a bonus second nuta recipe, Squid with Cucumber and Wakame Nuta.

Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.

You can use any kind of miso but you need to adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the miso you are using. For example, if you are using Saikyo miso, you do not need to add sugar as the miso is already quite sweet. If you are using aka-miso (very dark brown miso), you may need to increase the sugar slightly.

You could make nuta with other sashimi quality raw fish, boiled octopus or clams (pippies in Australia). Chicken breast or tenderloin is also suitable for nuta. You need to steam or boil chicken, then shred it. You can also use seaweed instead of meat for vegetarians.

YumikoYM_Signature

Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.

5 from 4 votes
Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.
Print
Tuna and Shallots (Scallions) Nuta
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Nuta is made with miso, vinegar, and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is Tuna and Shallots Nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks particularly sake.
Recipe Type: Appetiser, Sides
Cuisine: Japanese
Serves: 2 as sides, 4 as appetisers
Author: Yumiko
Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
  • 200g (7.1oz) sashimi tuna , cut into 2cm (¾“) cube
  • 2 stems of shallots (scallions), blanched and cut into 4cm (1½”) length
Sumiso Dressing
  • 4 tbsp white miso (note 1)
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sugar (note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp hot mustard (note 2)
Instructions
  1. Add all the Sumiso Dressing ingredients, except mustard into a small pot and heat over medium low heat.
  2. Mix well until the dressing becomes smooth without miso lumps and the edge of the sauce starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and let it cool down to at least room temperature. Do not heat too long otherwise the sauce will become too thick (note 3).
  3. Add mustard and mix well.
  4. Add tuna and shallots into the sauce and mix gently to coat well with the sauce.
  5. Serve immediately in small plates or bowls.
Recipe Notes

1. Depending on the type of miso used, the amount of sugar may need to be adjusted. If you use Saikyo miso (white sweet miso), you do not need to add sugar. If you use brown miso, then you need to increase the amount of sugar to 1 teaspoon (see the recipe for Squid with Cucumber and Wakame Nuta). It is also dependant on your preference.

2. It is ideal to use karashi (からし, Japanese mustard) but hot English mustard is also OK.

3. To check the consistency of the sauce, scoop the sauce with a spoon and try to drop the sauce into the pot. It should slowly drop like cold gravy. If it is too thick, add some water.

To cool it down faster, put the dressing in the fridge.

5 from 4 votes
Nuta (ぬた or 饅) is a miso and vinegar based dressing. It is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. One of the representative nuta is tuna and shallots (scallions) nuta. It is a great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake. Miso dressing goes well with many different ingredients and you can be creative.
Print
Squid with Cucumber and Wakame Nuta
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Nuta is made with miso, vinegar and sugar, with or without Japanese mustard. You will be surprised to see how well the miso dressing goes with squid. It is great accompaniment for drinks, particularly sake.
Recipe Type: Appetiser
Cuisine: Japanese
Serves: 2 as sides, 4 as appetiser
Author: Yumiko
Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
  • 100g (3.5oz) squid cut into strips of 1.5cm x 4cm (5/8" x 1 5/8") , blanched (note 1)
  • 2g (0.1oz) dried cut wakame (わかめ, seaweed), rehydrated
  • 100g (3.5oz) cucumber , thinly sliced
  • Sal
Sumiso Dressing
  • 4 tbsp awase-miso or brown miso (note 2)
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar (note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp hot mustard (note 3)
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cucumber slices and leave for 10 minutes to soften them. Rinse and squeeze the water out.
  2. Squeeze water out of wakame.
  3. Add all the Sumiso Dressing ingredients, except mustard into a small pot and heat over medium low heat.
  4. Mix well until the dressing becomes smooth without miso lumps and the edge of the sauce starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and let it cool down to at least room temperature. Do not heat too long otherwise the sauce will become too thick (note 4).
  5. Add mustard and mix well and cool it down.
  6. Divide squid, cucumber and wakame into 2 or 4 (if appetiser) serves and place them onto each plate without mixing them.
  7. Drop a half or a quarter (if appetiser) of the sumiso dressing on the side and serve.
Recipe Notes

1. I bought one fresh calamari which weighed 210g (7.4oz).

To prepare calamari/squid for nuta (also see the photo steps below the recipe):

a. Remove guts by gently pulling the tentacles from the body. Cut off the tentacles from just below the eyes keeping all tentacles intact. Push out the beak in the middle of the tentacles and discard.
b. Slice open the body tube by cutting vertically through the centre of the body on the side with no wings.
c. Remove the backbone and scrape off the guts attached to the inner skin.
d. Remove the wings off the body. Often, you can pull the skin off the body with the sings. From the edge of the body, peel the remaining brownish skin off. Remove the brown skin off the wings as well. Discard the skin. Use a paper towel to hold the skin and peel if too slimy.
e. Score the body half way through the flesh with a sharp knife making a crisscross pattern.
f. Cut the tentacles joint to separate tentacles into few groups.

2. Depending on the type of miso used, the amount of sugar may need to be adjusted. If you use Saikyo miso (white sweet miso), you do not need to add sugar. If you use brown miso, then you need to increase the amount of sugar to 1 teaspoon. It is also dependant on your preference.

3. It is ideal to use karashi (からし, Japanese mustard) but hot English mustard is also OK.

4. To check the consistency of the sauce, scoop the sauce with a spoon and try to drop the sauce into the pot. It should slowly drop like cold gravy. If too thick, add some water.

To cool it down faster, put the dressing in the fridge.

This is how I clean squid.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: All Recipes, Appetisers & Starters, Seafood, Sides

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruth says

    February 16, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    hi yumiko, could i use scallops and make the dressing with saikyo miso? What vegetables could I add?
    Could this dish be considered aemono?

    Reply
    • Yumiko says

      February 16, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Hi Ruth, scallop would be a great alternative to tuna Nuta as scallions go very well with scallops. Please see Note 2 for amount of sugar when using Saikyo miso. In Japanese cooking, anything dressed in thick sauce like Nuta is called ‘aemono’.

      Reply
  2. peter scaife says

    November 20, 2018 at 6:32 am

    my first venture into Japanese style food
    I have never used miso before
    so I got some white miso paste and some brown rice miso paste
    now never using this before i decided to start 1 ingredient at a time soI had marinated a small chicken breast over night in terriaki marinade i dissolved about 60 grams of white miso and started to heat it till it melted taste it had a nice flavor added a small packet of bonito powder and a tbsp of mirin still tastes good a added a sheet of nori seaweed and tasted it was getting too fishy so i took out the seaweed and added a bit more miso
    next 1 green scallion chopped small cut the chicken thin an fried in black sesame oil
    once sealed I added the chicken and some torfu and simmered slow for 5 mins
    the soup is very tasty but would have been better without dipping the seaweed but my first attempt is good and tasty I have an octopus in the freezer ans this recipe i think will suit it well
    I now will get some practice

    Reply
    • Yumiko says

      November 20, 2018 at 8:50 am

      That’s really great, Peter. Miso and sugar go well and makes salty miso more tasty and yummy. But I am curious as to what sort of seaweed you added that made the mixture so fishy…
      Good luck with Seafood Nuta!

      Reply
  3. Ria says

    January 3, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Hello from Philadelphia, Yumiko!

    I think this is my first time leaving comments here. I’ve been following both yours and Nagi’s recipes for years. I’ve spent many sleepless pregnant nights drooling at the photos. Remembering my childhood in Osaka and many others. Thank you so much for all your beautiful posts! Oh, how I wish you’re a skip, hop and a door bell away…

    Thank you again,

    Reply
    • Yumiko says

      January 4, 2018 at 9:08 am

      Hi Ria, thank you so much for kind words. If you lived near me, I could share my excess dishes with you so that I wouldn’t have to eat the same dish every day!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Yumiko!

I was born and raised in Japan and migrated to Australia with my family in 1981. I got tired of my kids constantly asking me for their favourite Japanese recipes, so I decided to collate them in one place so they can help themselves - and now you can too! Read More…

LOVE JAPANESE FOOD? Join my mailing list for free!

Miso Soup Basics
How to cook rice the Japanese way
RecipeTin Eats

LOVE JAPANESE FOOD? Join my mailing list for free!

Privacy & Disclosure · Copyright © 2025 · RecipeTin Japan

  • Recipes
  • Everyone’s Favourites
  • Pantry Essentials
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy & Disclosure
    • Japanese Eating Etiquette