Japanese Grilled Salmon Breakfast Set
A traditional Japanese breakfast set: salted grilled salmon, steamed short-grain rice, miso soup with tofu and wakame, and quick cucumber and turnip pickles.
- prep
- 45 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total
- 1 h 15 min
- serves
- 2
- level
- medium
A Japanese breakfast set is built from the same small parts: grilled fish, a bowl of plain steamed rice, miso soup and a dish of pickles (tsukemono). The fish is often shiozake, salmon cured with salt and grilled until the skin blisters and the flesh just flakes. Nothing on the tray is fussy, but each part has to be done properly because there is nowhere to hide.
Three things matter. Salt the salmon ahead so the flesh firms up and seasons through. Cook the rice with a rest at the end so it comes out plump and sticky. And make the miso soup with a real dashi, then add the miso off the boil so it keeps its fragrance. All of it can be done in under an hour.
Japanese Grilled Salmon Breakfast Set is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.
method
Pat the salmon dry, sprinkle both sides with the 1 teaspoon of salt and the sake, and leave it on a plate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs nearly clear, drain, and soak it in the 240 ml of water for 30 minutes.
Cook the rice: bring it and its soaking water to a boil in a covered pot, then reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a wet paddle. A rice cooker works just as well.
Make the dashi: put the kombu in the 600 ml of water and heat slowly. Just before it boils (about 80°C / 175°F), lift out the kombu. Add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat, wait 2 minutes, then strain.
Toss the sliced cucumber and turnip with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let them sit for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid, then toss with the rice vinegar and chill until serving.
Heat the broiler to high with the rack about 10 cm from the element. Wipe the moisture from the salmon, set it skin side up on a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking sheet and broil for 8 to 10 minutes, without turning, until the skin is blistered and browned and the flesh flakes (63°C / 145°F inside).
Return the dashi to a gentle simmer and add the tofu and wakame for 1 minute. Turn the heat to low, put the miso in a ladle, dip the ladle into the pot and whisk the miso into the broth until dissolved. Do not let it boil again. Scatter in the scallion.
Divide the rice into two bowls and arrange each tray with a salmon fillet, a bowl of miso soup and a dish of pickles. Serve immediately.
chef's tips
- Salt the salmon overnight for a firmer, more seasoned shiozake. Rinse and pat dry before grilling if it comes out too salty for your taste.
- Boiling miso dulls its aroma and flavor. Always add it at the end, off a hard boil.
- No katsuobushi or kombu? One teaspoon of instant dashi powder dissolved in 600 ml of hot water is an acceptable shortcut.
- A hot cast iron or nonstick skillet works if you have no broiler: cook the salmon skin side down over medium heat for 6 minutes, then flip for 2 minutes.