Glossary · 漬け · づけ · zuke
Zuke
Zuke is the edomae technique of marinating fish — classically lean tuna (akami) — in soy sauce, both to preserve it and to deepen its umami.
Before refrigeration, lean tuna was steeped in soy sauce (often cut with dashi and mirin) to keep it from spoiling — that marinade is zuke, and the classic result is zuke-maguro. The soy draws out moisture and pushes in savor, leaving the akami darker, firmer and rounder in flavor.
Today it’s done for taste rather than necessity, and it remains a signature of the edomae repertoire — proof that “worked” fish can beat merely raw.