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Grilled salt-cured salmon is a staple of traditional japanese breakfasts. This easy grilled salmon recipe includes just 3 ingredients.

Japanese Breakfast Salmon (塩鮭)

Shiozake (塩鮭) or Salted Salmon is a Japanese breakfast staple that comes together from a handful of ingredients, and yet it makes for the perfect savory side dish for a bowl of rice or a bento box lunch.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Japanese
Level Beginner
Main Ingredient Fish
Diet Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Pescatarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Curing time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 10 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Calories 185 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 12 grams table salt (mounding 1/2 tablespoon table salt)
  • 200 grams salmon (sliced into 2 thin filets)
  • 200 grams daikon (3-4 inch piece)
Grams + US Cups - Ounces + US Cups

Instructions

  1. Add the water, mirin, and salt to a container with a lid and stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
    Brine for curing salmon.
  2. Place the salmon in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
    Salmon curing in brine for Japanese grilled salmon.
  3. When you're ready to prepare the salmon, remove it from the brine and use paper towels to pat the fish dry.
    Using paper towels to pat the brined salmon dry.
  4. You can grill the salmon in a toaster oven set to broil until the fish flakes easily, or you can pan-fry it.
    Grilling salted salmon.
  5. If you are cooking the salted salmon on the stove, heat a frying pan over medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Place the salmon skin-side down and let it fry undisturbed until you can see the salmon turn opaque about 1/3 of the way up the side.
    Shiozake salmon being pan-fried.
  6. Carefully flip the salmon over and cook on the second side until it's cooked through. You can test it with an instant-read thermometer (it should read 140 F), or you can flake it with a fork (it should flake easily and be opaque all the way through).
    Japanese breakfast salmon in a frying pan.

  7. While the salmon is cooking, peel and grate the daikon. Drain the pulp in a strainer to remove excess water, and then plate the grated daikon with the salted salmon.

    Japanese salt grilled salmon with daikon oroshi.
Nutrition Facts
Japanese Breakfast Salmon (塩鮭)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 185 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 55mg18%
Sodium 2532mg106%
Potassium 717mg20%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 40IU1%
Vitamin C 22mg27%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.