How to Make Salmon Ochazuke That Soothes Your Soul

This dish has been saving tired Japanese workers for centuries. Hot dashi tea pours over fluffy rice releasing the soothing steam that makes everything hungry. That's my 20 minute salmon ochazuke coming to life. For a printable version of this recipe visit my website just google salmon ochazuke space that you'd find me. First things first pat your salmon fillets dry with paper towels. I use about 200 grams so two or three fillets depending on the size. In Japan we sometimes use salt cured or leftover salt grilled salmon. If you do use these you can skip the salting steps. Now generously season both sides with a light layer of salt. The salt pulls out surface moisture which is where most of those fishy odors hide. Cover these fillets and let them rest for about 20 minutes. If your kitchen is particularly warm 10 minutes is fine or you can put them in the fridge. Around five minutes before your timer goes off turn on your grill and set it to medium high. When your salmon is done resting use paper towels to dry once more. Then drizzle about one teaspoon of sake over the salmon. This sake does two things it gets rid of any odors further and makes the fish more tender. Now put your salmon on the grill with the skin side facing the heat source. Let it cook until the skin is blistered and crispy then flip the fillets over and cook them until they're done. If you don't have a grill or broiler at home you can cook the salted salmon in a frying pan instead. How do you know when it's perfectly cooked? Look for the change in color. When the translucent deep pink color changes to a light opaque pink and you see little dots of white protein on the surface your salmon is about done. When your salmon is cooked carefully remove the crispy skin but don't throw it away. Slice it into thin strips and set aside. This will add wonderful textural contrast to our final dish. Now for the salmon flesh wait until it's warm but not too hot then gently break it into bite-sized pieces. Take your time and look carefully for any small bones. If you find any use chopsticks or tweezers to pick them out. Let's move on to creating our dashi tea which is really the soul of this dish. Traditionally ochazuke is made with either green tea or dashi but I like to get the best of both worlds. Heat 300 milliliters of dashi stock to about 80 degrees celsius which is 175 to 180 degrees fahrenheit then add the green tea back and let it steep for one to two minutes. Remove the tea bag and mix in two teaspoons of soy sauce for more flavor and saltiness. Now it's time to put together our ochazuke bowls. Divide your cooked Japanese short grain rice into bowls. For those wondering about 150 grams of cooked rice per bowl is perfect. Sprinkle the top with ground sesame seeds for a nutty aroma then arrange your salmon flakes and those precious crispy skin pieces on top of the rice. Add a generous sprinkle of finely chopped green onions. Boil dashi tea mixture over the rice letting it reach about halfway up the rice. Top with some shredded nori. If you're like me and enjoy a bit of heat add some wasabi paste. This dish is best enjoyed immediately while the rice still has some texture and the tea is hot. If you wait too long the rice will keep soaking up liquid and turn mushy and nobody wants that. And there you have it salmon ochazuke. The ultimate Japanese comfort food that's perfect for those nights when you need something soothing yet satisfying. Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description. Okay let's go over the ingredients one more time and if you're ready to cook grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen. Here we go the link to the full recipe is on the screen for you now and if you want to watch more similar videos don't miss my rice playlist popping up on your screen as well. Thanks so much for watching and I hope to see you in the next one. Bye!