Aburi Is The Japanese Style Of Cooking That Takes Steak To The Next Level

When people think about Japanese cuisine, one of the first things that comes to mind is raw fish. Granted, there are many types of sushi out there that do involve seafood, but you can also prepare sushi with beef. And there is a unique cooking technique used in some sushi dishes that is often used to sear that meat.  

Introducing aburi, a method of flame searing just enough to partially cook the outside of a piece of meat or fish while leaving the interior raw. The name fittingly translates to "flame seared". This technique is primarily used on fish but it's also great for sealing in the delicate flavor of beef inside of a beautifully seared exterior texture. 

Aburi requires the use of a blow torch — preferably one with some power — in order to create that perfect sear. Steak cooked using this method can be served by itself, sliced on a plate, but it is typically placed on top of rice, essentially creating a seared steak nigiri. 

What makes aburi unique is the way it affects texture and flavor. The blow-torch searing creates a contrast in flavor and mouthfeel between the exterior and interior of the meat. Typically, in Japan, it's used on highly marbled cuts of beef such as wagyu, which are soft and yielding when raw, and have enough fat to get a good sear quickly.

As the aburi technique leaves the centre of the meat raw, you'll get a similar experience to that of eating ultra-rare steak or steak tartare. However, if you prefer, the steak can easily be cooked more to suit personal preference. Simply torch the meat longer to cook it more.

Serving aburi steak is also easily customizable. The simplest way is to just lay pieces of aburi steak over sushi rice, although strongly flavored accompaniments are common. The most popular additions are ponzu sauce or wasabi. Other options include spicy mayonnaise, avocado, or homemade soy-based sauce mixes.