← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 450 g salmon fillets, skin on
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and leave for 10 min, then pat dry.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast the salmon on a lined tray for 12–15 min until it flakes easily. (You can also grill or poach it.)
3. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and pick out every bone. Break the flesh into small flakes with a fork.
4. Warm the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the salmon with the sake, mirin and soy sauce.
5. Stir constantly with chopsticks or a spatula for 5–8 min, breaking it up finely, until it looks dry, fluffy and lightly golden.
6. Stir in the sesame seeds and cool completely. Keep in a clean jar in the fridge for 4–5 days, or freeze.

Tips

• Spoon over hot rice, fold into onigiri, scatter on salad, or add to ochazuke.
• Salted salmon (shiozake) works perfectly; skip the extra salt.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101