Surrounded by the ocean, Japan has relied on fish and seafood as a major source of protein for the Japanese people for centuries. I have many favorite fish and seafood dishes myself, but Japanese Salted Salmon (Shiozake or Shiojake) has to be one of the most classic grilled fish we enjoy of all time!
The natural richness and charred flavor of the grilled salmon are simply wonderful to eat as a part of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You’ll need only 3 simple ingredients to make this recipe at home!
What is Japanese Salted Salmon?
Japanese Salted Salmon is called Shiozake or Shiojake (塩鮭) and it’s made of salmon and salt with the addition of sake to clean the fish.
If you have been to Japan, you probably recall seeing or trying a traditional Japanese breakfast similar to the picture below.
The breakfast set includes salted salmon (shiozake), steamed rice, miso soup (I made Tonjiru), a vegetable side (I made broccoli gomaae), and an egg dish (I made Tamagoyaki).
Aside from traditional Japanese breakfast, you may find salted salmon in a bento lunch box or as a filling for Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri). Salted salmon is so versatile that I also use it in my Salmon Fried Rice, Ochazuke (a simple rice dish in green tea), and Okayu (Rice Porridge).
I used to buy prepared salted salmon from a Japanese supermarket for convenience. However, it can be a bit salty. Since my children love salted salmon and its crispy skin, I decided to slice the salmon fillets myself and started making my own salted salmon at home.
Turns out, it was ridiculously easy and economical that I didn’t need to buy the prepared salted salmon from a Japanese grocery store anymore. I hope you are inspired to make your own, too!
Ingredients for Japanese Salted Salmon
- Japanese-style salmon fillets (I recommend firmer and less-fatty Sockeye salmon; you can slice your own fillets)
- Salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- Sake to clean the fish
That’s it, just 3 simple ingredients!
How to Make Japanese Salted Salmon
- Marinate the salmon with sake and let rest for 10 minutes. Before salting, you want to make sure to pat the salmon surface dry with paper towels. Then sprinkle salt liberally on all sides, especially on the skin. The salting process not only helps to remove any fishy taste but also plays a role in enhancing umami and firming up the flesh of salmon. We will then wrap the fillets in a few layers in an air-tight container before keeping them chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
- After 2 days, wrap the fillet in plastic and store them in the freezer.
- Broil the salmon in the oven, or it can be grilled or pan-fried. The salmon will come out tender with a flavorful crispy skin.
You can make a larger batch of salted salmon at once and keep them frozen to enjoy at a later time.
How to Cut Salmon into Japanese-Style Fillets
As I mentioned earlier, it’s very easy to cut a salmon fillet into Japanese-style thin fillets. Why do we have to cut it this way? The fillets are much thinner so it’s quicker to cook through. As it’s diagonally sliced, the salmon fillet has its skin on top of the fillet. It’s perfect for broiling the skin to achieve a crispy texture.
To cut the side of the salmon, place the salmon skin side down with the narrow tail end to your left (the head end is wider). Next, cut off the tail’s narrowest part, which is too small for Japanese-style fillets. Tilt your knife back about 30 degrees and diagonally slice the salmon toward the tail end.
I decide the portion size based on the look of the salmon fillet and slice the fillet into 1 inch (2.5 cm) thickness. The typical Japanese-style fillets are 60-80 grams (2.1-2.8 ounces), which are much smaller fillets than Western-style fillets.
You can read the detailed tutorial on How to Cut Salmon into Japanese-Style Fillets.
There you have it! You can use the same cutting technique to cut other kinds of salmon for Japanese-style fillets.
Salting Salmon with the Right Amount
Traditionally, when there was no refrigeration, salmon was salted to improve its shelf life and to keep up with the abundance of salmon catches. By salting, the water is removed and the fat is converted to amino acids, which results in improving the taste.
The higher the salt concentration is, the better the preservation is. Depending on the amount of salt, salted salmon is categorized into two types:
- ama-kuchi (甘口) (5-8% salt concentration)
- kara-kuchi (辛口) (8% or more)
However, people are more health-conscious these days, and the supermarkets sell their ama-kuchi salted salmon as 3%, chu-kara (中辛) as 5%, and kara-kuchi as 8% or more.
If you’re not familiar with Japanese fermented foods such as soy sauce, miso, umeboshi, and pickles, you may find the salted salmon a little strong on taste. Even for the Japanese, we do not eat salted salmon by itself, and we always eat a small portion of salted salmon (typically 3 oz or 80 g) with steamed rice.
FAQs
How salty is shiozake?
Japanese salted salmon is intentionally salty with a flavorful profile so it can be eaten with plain rice. In Japan, a 5% salt ratio is common. It’s not meant to be eaten on its own. Japanese people enjoy it in small portions with Japanese rice and mild side dishes.
Can I reduce the salt in Japanese salted salmon?
Yes, you can reduce the amount of salt to about 3–4% of the salmon’s weight. This makes the salmon milder in taste, but it won’t keep as long in the refrigerator and is less suitable for long storage.
How do you remove salt from salted salmon?
Soak the cured salmon in a mixture of 2 parts sake and 1 part mirin for about 3 hours in the refrigerator. Pat dry before cooking. This method removes excess salt while keeping the fish tender.
What to Serve with Shiozake
Japanese salted salmon is such a delightful dish to enjoy, especially for traditional Japanese breakfast. Make sure you have good-quality Japanese short-grain rice and miso soup to go with this dish. I’ve also served:
- Japanese Sweet Rolled Omelette (Tamagoyaki)
- Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (Gomaae)
- Soy Sauce Pickled Cucumber
Other Delicious Japanese Salmon Recipes
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Japanese Salted Salmon (Shiojake/Shiozake)
Ingredients
- 1.3 lb skin-on Japanese-style salmon fillets (store bought or cut your own; I sliced the entire left side of wild sockeye salmon from Costco; I recommend firm and lean sockeye salmon for this recipe, but I've also used fatty Atlantic salmon)
- 1–2 Tbsp sake
- 3 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (5% of the salmon‘s weight in salt of any kind; I used 30 g salt for 600 g salmon; 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal salt weighs 10 g)
For Serving
- 2 inches daikon radish
Instructions
- Before You Start: Please note that this recipe has a curing time of 2 days.
To Cut the Fillets (optional)
- Here's a brief overview of how to cut a side of salmon into Japanese-style fillets (skip ahead if using store-bought fillets): Place the salmon skin side down with the narrow tail end to your left (the head end is wider). Cut off the tail‘s narrowest part, which is too small for Japanese-style fillets. Then, tilt your knife back 30 degrees and slice the salmon diagonally toward the tail end about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.Nami's Tip: For detailed instructions with photos, see my tutorial How to Cut Salmon into Japanese-Style Fillets.
- This 1.3 lb (600 g) side of sockeye salmon yielded 8 Japanese-style fillets and 3 additional odd-sized pieces.
To Salt the Salmon
- Evenly sprinkle 1–2 Tbsp sake on 1.3 lb skin-on Japanese-style salmon fillets and coat well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, pat the salmon dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle some of the 3 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt on the skin. Then, sprinkle the remainder of the salt on both sides of the fillets. Nami's Tip: I use 5% of the salmon's weight in salt. In Japan, the salt concentration ranges from 3% to 8% or more; see the blog post for more information.
- If you have any leftover salt, press it onto the skin with your hand.
To Pack and Marinate
- Line the bottom of an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb the moisture released from the fish. Place a few salted fillets in the container in a single layer. Then, lay another paper towel on top.
- Repeat for the second and third layers of fillets, as needed.
- Lay a final sheet of paper towel on top. Cover with the lid and keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.
After 2 Days
- Open the container after 2 days. You‘ll see that the salt has drawn out the moisture from the salmon. The fillets are darker in color and firmer in texture. Discard the wet paper towels.
- Gently pat the fillets with a dry paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. The salted salmon fillets are now ready to use. To cook them now, jump to the “To Broil“ section. To freeze the fillets to use later, continue with the next step.
To Freeze for Later (optional)
- If you don’t plan on cooking the salmon now, wrap the individual pieces in plastic. In the next step, I'll show you how I wrap two fillets together, as I often need two for bento boxes or four for a family meal. When wrapping, make sure the two fillets are separated by a layer of plastic so they don‘t fuse together when frozen. This is helpful when you need to take out just one frozen fillet.
- Set a fillet on top of a sheet of plastic wrap and fold over one edge to completely cover the salmon. Then, put the second fillet next to the first piece and separated by a layer of plastic film. Continue to wrap the salmon fillets tightly.
- Repeat wrapping the remaining fillets the same way. Put them in a freezer bag. You can store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To Defrost the Frozen Fillets
- The night before cooking the salmon, completely defrost the frozen fillets (still in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator overnight. Before cooking, let the salmon sit out on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes to warm up to room temperature. Do not let it sit out for too long. When you‘re ready to cook, gather the ingredients. Here, I will cook two fillets.
To Broil (recommended)
- Preheat the oven broiler on High (550ºF/288ºC) for 5 minutes. Place the oven rack in the center position, about 9 inches (23 cm) away from the top heating element. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up and grease it with (spray) cooking oil. Place the salmon on the foil, skin side up (for crispy skin). Nami's Tip: When broiling, you don‘t control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It‘s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill.
- Broil the salmon for 8–10 minutes. Please remember that the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish and the distance between the broiler and the food. Cook the Japanese salted salmon to well done (more dry and flaky). You do not need to flip it.
To Bake (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with the rack placed in the middle position. Bake the salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 10–12 minutes. Cook the shiozake until well done (more dry and flaky).
To Grill (optional)
- Cook the fillets on a wire fish grill on medium heat over a stovetop or direct fire, about 5 minutes on each side. Cook until well done (more dry and flaky).
To Serve
- Peel the skin from 2 inches daikon radish and grate the daikon (I use a ceramic grater). Gently squeeze out most of the liquid but keep it moist.
- Serve the broiled salmon with grated daikon on the side. I also served Tamagoyaki (Japanese Sweet Rolled Omelet) and Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing in this meal.
To Store
- Keep the leftover cooked salmon in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer (if not previously frozen) for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 2, 2012. The post has been updated with new images and more helpful content in March 2022.
