Salmon and Ikura Dashi Chazuke

Instructions

1. Gather all the ingredients. Cook the short-grain rice ahead of time with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
2. Add 2 cups water and 1 dashi packet to a medium sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid and card the packet.
3. Season the dashi with 2 tsp mirin and 2 tsp soy sauce. Taste and add ¼ tsp salt, if needed.
4. Steer it all together and turn off the heat. Pour the hot seasoned dashi into a teapot, cover, and set aside.
5. Cut 6 slices sashimi-grade salmon with a very sharp knife. The simplest way to slice it is straight down using the hira-zukuri method (read more in my sashimi cutting tips). Start from the heel of the blade and pull the knife towards you, ending at the tip. Nami's Tip: To firm up the flesh so it's easier to slice, place the salmon block in the freezer for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
6. Place 1 serving cooked Japanese short-grain rice in a donburi (large bowl); I used one from JOC Goods. Let it cool a little bit. Sprinkle ½ Tbsp shredded nori seaweed on top. Layer the salmon sashimi around the top of the rice.
7. Pile 1 Tbsp ikura (salmon roe) on top. Garnish with optional 1 tsp shio kombu and mitsuba (Japanese parsley).
8. Set the prepared rice bowl and hot seasoned dashi on the table. Pour the dashi until the rice is halfway submerged and enjoy. I served it with wasabi, bubu arare (crispy puffed rice topping—I usually buy this in Japan), shio kombu, and shredded nori seaweed on the side.
9. Store the salmon sashimi, cooled seasoned dashi, and cooked rice in separate airtight containers. Keep the raw salmon in the fridge with a bag of crushed ice and consume it immediately, within 1–2 days. The rice keeps best in the freezer for up to a month; to reheat, see How to Store Cooked Rice. The dashi will keep in the fridge for 3–5 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.