All recipes are for 2 servings unless noted. Oil is canola oil and salt is kosher salt.

2011-11-26

Shiozake / salted salmon

Shiozake  (shiojake) in a few different levels of saltiness is readily available at stores in Japan. We make our own when we get fresh salmon and freeze it in smaller pieces. It is quite a versatile ingredient in many different dishes. You can control the salt content when you make your own.




<Ingredients>
Fresh salmon fillet/steak cuts
Salt (about 2% of salmon weight; 1 1/2-2 tsp salt for 300 g salmon)


<Directions>
1.

If using a fillet, cut into smaller pieces (1/2-2/3 postcard size for us).
If using steak cuts, slice or cut them in half, as necessary.

Sprinkle salt on front and back sides.



Cover and let sit in refrigerator for 1-3 days.

If not using soon, wrap individual pieces in plastic and freeze (photo). It will keep for a couple of months.

<Notes>
  • The level of salt is for the so-called amajio [low-sodium] version.
  • If using sea salt, reduce the amount, as it tastes much saltier.
  • Benizake (benijake) or sockeye salmon is my choice when in season, but any salmon or steelhead works just fine. (King salmon with high fat content is not a good option, especially when using shiozake as an ingredient in other dishes.)
  • Increase the amount of salt if you plan to keep shiozake in the freezer for more than two months.
  • Desalination is recommended when you find your shiozake too salty or want to avoid taking too much sodium. See "shiozake no shionuki [desalination of salted salmon]" for how to get rid of excess saltiness and to improve the taste at the same time.

Recipes with shiozake

Try shiozake in the following recipes

(Last updated: February 26, 2015)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never
understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me.
I'm looking forward for your next post, I'll try to
get the hang of it!
My weblog Chinese White Tea

neco said...

Once you try, it would become easy. Something different is fun!

Anonymous said...

I love shiojake, but I only like a very slight salty taste. I only have sea salt, how much less should I use on the fish? 1%? If I would like to freeze it, do I put it in the refridgerator for 1-3 days first AND THEN put it in the freezer? or Do I just prinkle the salt and stick it in the freezer right away? thank you!!! I love shiojake!
Eve

neco said...

Hi Eve,
I think you only need half the amount. The percentage (2%) is the same with any types of salt, but the amount needs to be adjusted according to the weight of your salt (1 teaspoon of sea salt would weigh 5-6 grams -- the number varies by source).
You can freeze salted salmon right away. The frozen salted salmon may taste a bit weak or not as salty as you want if you use it within a few weeks. If you are planning to use it sooner, keeping salted salmon in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before freezing should help.