Sunday, December 12th, 2010
I was supposed to post my daigaku imo recipe next but unfortunately it's not ready yet and I have other things to post so on to shake (salmon) gohan. Out of all the maze gohan (mixed rice) recipes I've posted, salmon rice is the prettiest because the pale orange, white and green make a nice contrast. I choose not to use soy sauce to keep it pretty. After all, we eat with our eye first don't we? However, I must admit that taste is king so you mustn't ignore all important matters such as prepping the fish and cooking it properly. It's important to prep the fish with salt and sake before cooking because it can be the difference between fishy and heavenly. You also want to pay close attention to the fish while you're cooking it so that it doesn't overcook because fish it can go from succulent to dry very quickly. The great thing about this recipe is that salmon is such a tasty fish that you don't need a lot of seasonings, in fact all I use is salt, a little mirin and some sake on the fish.
I've seen some recipes that call for the fish to be placed directly into the rice cooker and to cook it with the skin on. I highly recommend that you remove the skin because it will make the rice fishy even if you treat it with sake and salt. I also prefer baking it in the toaster oven and mixing it into the rice later on.
Ingredients
- 2 + 1/4 cups of medium grain Japanese rice. (equivalent to 3 Japanese cups)
- 2 (1 inch thick) salmon steaks (approx. 0.75 lb)
- 3 tsp. kosher or sea salt, divided
- 2 tbsp. sake
- mirin
- shiso leaves for garnish
Directions
- Prep the salmon the night before by rubbing it with 2 teaspoons for the kosher or sea salt and sprinkling it with sake. Put in a tupperware and refrigerate.
- Wash the rice and add water up to the 3 line and take out 1 tbsp of water and add in 1 tbsp. of mirin and the remaining 1 tsp. of the salt.
- Brush the rack with vegetable oil
- Put the fish on the rack skin side up.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes on broil (toaster oven) or until the skin starts to puff up.
- Flip the salmon and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the fish is done. (Be careful not to overcook the salmon since it's easy to do that. If you're making it for the first time, check the fish at 7 minutes)
- Pull off the skin and search for bones. Leave the fish in chunks since it will break apart when you mix it in with the rice.
- Mix the rice first and then add the fish and gently incorporate the fish.
- Serve into a bowl and garnish with shiso.
I used two salmon steaks for 3 cups (Japanese) of rice.
Prep the fish by sprinkling with sake and rubbing with sea salt.
Add mirin and salt and give the rice a whirl. (I leave soy sauce out to keep it white.)
If you use a toaster oven, brush the rack with vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. Put the rack closest to the top.
Fill a pan with water and put it on the bottom shelf. Place the fish on the rack with the skin side up and cook on broil for 8-10 minutes.
When the fish is done, the skin should start to bubble.
Flip the salmon over and cook on the other other side for an additional 8-10 minutes.
Pull off the skin from the fish. (Save it for another dish.)
Pull out any bones. Yes, I used rubber gloves here cuz it was hot and I was ready to eat! (Luckily salmon doesn't have a lot of bones.)
Don't break it up too much. Leave the salmon in chunks.
Mix the rice first and then add the salmon.
Lightly mix the rice to incorporate the salmon.
Serve a big heaping of rice in a bowl and garnish with shiso.
From the top now. Christmas table cloth makes its debut.
