salmon tartare

Jesse makes all different types and variations of tartare. This recipe was inspired after shopping at an upscale Japanese supermarket in Xintiandi. To get the best-quality salmon, go to GL Japan Plaza in Xintiandi or City Super at IFC in Pudong . 1/2 pound sushi grade salmon, tobiko (flying fish roe), a nice tasty soy sauce, touch of super-finely chopped ginger (try to pull out fibrous parts), chopped scallions and wasabiiiii!

You really can use any of the parts of the good sushi grade salmon to make this dish. What Jesse usually does is take the left over cuts from the prime cuts and uses a spoon to peel the meat from any unwanted parts (skin and tendon). If you flip over the spoon and scratch away the flesh from the skin and any other non-palatable parts you will be left with grade “A” tartare meat. If there are any pieces which are not consistent in size, chop all the salmon together to get uniform consistency.

1/2 pound sushi grade salmon
2 tablespoons tobiko, or flying fish roe
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon good olive oil
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, sliced and cut in long strips
1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon prepared wasabi
3 teaspoons soy sauce
A touch of finely chopped ginger

Chop the salmon into uniform size. In a medium bowl, mix the salmon, sesame oil, olive oil, chopped scallion, onion, sesame seeds, wasabi, ginger, soy sauce and lemon juice. Cover and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Thinly slice half of the cucumber at a diagonal, then cut the rest into long strips. Arrange the cucumber on a plate and top with salmon tartare. Garnish with flying fish roe, scallion and serve.

salmon sushi

You can add anything you like in your sushi rolls. Spicy tuna, avocados, yellowtail, eel, tobiko, salmon skin, carrots, gobo (burdock root), eel sauce, shrimp tempura and etc…

1/2 pound sushi grade salmon, cut into strips
4 cups prepared sushi rice
1 package nori (seaweed) sheets
5 leaves red leaf lettuce
6 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cucumber, cut into strips
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Sriracha or Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 small bowl water
Wasabi
Gari (pickled ginger)
Soy sauce

Prepare your sushi making station: In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and water. This solution is used to wet your hands while spreading sushi rice on nori. Wrap the entire bamboo mat with a plastic saran wrap. Mix the Sriracha with mayonnaise and set aside.

Heat the nori over gas stove or in an oven at 350°F / 175°C for 2 minutes. Place the nori on the bamboo mat, spread sushi rice over the entire surface of the nori, leaving about an inch of nori on the top edge. Press the rice down firmly, wet your hands with the vinegar solution to help from sticking.

Spread a layer of mayonnaise mixture across the center of the rice from end to end. Add strips of salmon, cucumber, lettuce, sesame seeds and scallions. Begin rolling the edge from bottom to top, using the bamboo mat to press down on the sushi as you roll up, gently and tightly. Use a few rice grains to seal the top edge of the roll. Press the roll in the bamboo mat for about 30 seconds to hold shape.

Dip your knife in the vinegar solution and cut the roll into 8 even slices. Arrange the rolls cut side up on a platter, garnish with wasabi, lettuce and pickled ginger.

How to make the best sushi rice:

2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Kombo kelp, 2″ strip

Wash the rice in a strainer until the water coming from the rice is clear. Let drain in the strainer for 45 minutes. While rice is draining, mix together vinegar, mirin, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Add rice, 2 cups water and kelp to an electric rice cooker and cook until ready, about 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a rice cooker. Add rice to a medium pot with 2 cups water and kelp. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice rest for 10 minutes. Do not remove the cover as the rice needs the steam to finish cooking at this point.

Turn the rice out into a large wooden bowl. Using a wooden spatula, mix the vinegar mixture to the rice in a cross hatching / slashing motion. This is so you don’t break the rice and making it mushy. Be careful not to over mix.