Simple Salmon Chirashi

By Kath Dedon

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Simple Salmon Chirashi is a great salmon dish from Sunset magazine. Their head notes explain that “chirashi” means scattered in Japanese and chirashi is typically a rice bowl topped with sashimi. Instead of using raw fish, Sunset uses cooked salmon.

This seemed like the perfect recipe for the special Koshihikari rice that Carrie brought back for me from Niigata. Many consider it the best sushi rice in Japan. Carrie found it packaged in a cute plastic rice kernel which is obviously designed for gift-giving.

For the salmon, we were lucky enough to have some that friends brought back from their fishing trip to Alaska. (You know who you are. Thank you! 🙂 )

This Simple Salmon Chirashi was very easy to prepare and I loved it! With the sauce that accompanies it, the flavors are very similar to sushi. If you love sushi, I think you’ll love this.

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Simple Salmon Chirashi

(Adapted from a Sunset magazine recipe)

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Sunset suggests using a medium-grain rice. I used Koshihikari sushi rice. I think any type of rice would work. It is gluten free with wheat-free soy sauce or tamari.

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 2 (with some of the delicious rice leftover)

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3/4 cup rice

2 fillets of salmon (each one 5 – 6 ounces)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¾ cup halved and sliced cucumber

½ large avocado, cut into cubes

½ sheet nori, cut into thin strips

1 green onion, sliced diagonally

2½ tablespoons reduced-sodium gluten-free tamari 

1 tablespoon wasabi powder

¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

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Look at the cute rice kernel container that the rice came in!

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1. Cook the rice. (I used this method in my rice cooker.)

2. Prep the vegetables while the rice is cooking.

3. Mix the tamari sauce, wasabi powder, and toasted sesame oil together to make the sauce.

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4. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Line a baking sheet with foil and put the salmon fillets on it. I use clean tweezers to remove the pin bones.

5. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and pepper. Roast the salmon for 8 – 10 minutes. (The rule is 10 minutes for every inch of thickness.)

6. Put some rice in two bowls. Top them with the vegetables, nori, and the salmon fillets. If using, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve with the sauce on the side for dipping.

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