When comes to feeding my family, I’ve learned that having some make-ahead dishes can be really helpful. But they can’t be merely about convenience: They need to be tasty and nutritious as well.
Today I’ll like to introduce Salmon Flakes (鮭フレーク), a terrific recipe for anyone who is looking to pack more Omega-3 into every meal to stay strong and healthy.
What are Salmon Flakes?
Salmon Flakes is shredded cooked salmon that’s mildly seasoned and used as a versatile sidekick for a great variety of dishes. In Japanese, we say Sha-ke Fu-ray-ku (鮭フレーク). For such a simple dish, the salmon flakes have a lot to offer. The most common way to use them is to sprinkle over rice, like Furikake rice seasonings. Salmon Flakes elevate simple steamed rice with extra nutrients and flavors.
If you go to a Japanese grocery store, you can even find a jar of Salmon Flakes like this (see below).
While the store-bought stuff is tempting, it contains preservatives and unfamiliar ingredients so we will make our own! The great news is it’s ridiculously easy to make. Before I go into how to make Salmon Flakes, let’s go over how to use it with a few recipe ideas.
How to Use the Salmon Flakes
1. Sprinkle over
- Steamed rice
- Ochazuke
- Udon noodle soup
- Soups
- Stir-fried udon noodles
- Baked/mashed potatoes
2. Use as a filling
- Rice ball (Onigiri)
- Onigirazu
- Tamagoyaki
- Quiche
- Puffed pies
- Crispy wontons
3. Mix together
- Pasta (especially Japanese-style pasta with soy sauce- or cream-based!)
- Zosui (rice soup)
- Gratin
- Fried rice
- Stir-fries
- Maze gohan (mixed rice)
- Potato salad
- Dips
How to Prepare Salmon Flakes
This recipe involves 3 simple steps.
- Bake the salmon in the oven till fully cooked.
- Dehydrate the moisture and season the salmon in the frying pan.
- Let cool and store in a jar.
If you keep it in an air-tight container, it lasts for 4 days in the refrigerator and for up to a month in the freezer.
Itadakimasu!
My kids love salmon, and many of you expressed how much you and your children enjoy all my salmon recipes. So I hope this Salmon Flakes recipe will come in handy. I personally love tossing this salmon into pasta or sprinkling it over rice when we need protein or just one more dish. And I’d love to hear some other fun and delicious ideas you have for using the recipe!
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Salmon Flakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon (fillets, with or without skin; I used sockeye salmon, but you can use other types; I like that sockeye has a firm texture and doesn‘t crumble easily)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (plus more, as needed)
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Bake the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC). Sprinkle ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over 1 lb salmon fillets and set aside for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the excess moisture with a paper towel. Transfer the fillets to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the salmon at 425ºF (218ºC) for 10 minutes (5 minutes per ½-inch thickness). Remove from the oven.
- Using chopsticks or a fork, break the salmon into flakes. You can do this directly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove the skin and bones, if any.
To Season the Salmon Flakes
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and coat the pan well. Add the flaked salmon to the pan.
- Add 1 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp mirin and stir well. Let the alcohol evaporate.
- Add 2 tsp soy sauce and stir to combine. Let the moisture evaporate.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight jar once the salmon is completely cool. Your Salmon Flakes are ready to use.
To Store
- You can store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for a month.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!