Here is how to make a delicious salmon tataki! I love this Japanese fish dish of quickly seared salmon. Tastes even better with a fresh sesame dressing served on the side! And what a fantastic appetite booster this also is!
I really don’t need a glass ball to know that you are going to love this salmon tataki!
Just look how simple it is to bring some Japanese flavors on your dinner table.
So first off: let’s talk about that fresh chunk of salmon.
Buy a super fresh piece of salmon for this Japanese salmon tataki recipe.
Fresh Salmon
Preferably a piece that is thick and fatty and cubic to rectangular in shape. Because this will also make slicing up the pan seared salmon later on much easier for you.
It is also important that your piece of salmon has the same thickness on all sides. Because salmon tataki slices with the same size and shape also look much prettier and more appetizing on a plate.
Believe me, presentation here is everything!
Believe me, presentation here is everything! Check with your local supermarket or if you’d prefer some higher quality fish, I like the fresh salmon from Nordic Catch, they have fresh and frozen bulk salmon available for delivery.
Best Japanese Salmon Tataki
We are only going to sear the salmon quickly on all sides first.
Just to give it that extra color but you still need to keep it as raw as possible on the inside. Once the salmon tataki is chilling in the fridge, then we will assemble our fresh and easy dipping sauce, full of the most gorgeous Asian flavors.
No funny stuff you need here apart from the fish sauce and rice vinegar.
Rice Vinegar
If you can’t find any rice vinegar, then I suggest that you add extra lemon juice to taste and a tiny pinch of caster sugar as well as a good alternative.
Then plate your salmon tataki creation up nicely and you are all set!
I love to serve this salmon tataki dish as a starter also: it is easy to make in advance and a fantastic appetite booster!
My favorite side dishes to serve with this salmon tataki are rice and my Japanese spinach and sesame salad!
Fish Starter
Do you love salmon recipes?
Then you should also take a look at my soba miso soup with smoked salmon sushi!
Are you looking for a more European salmon starter?
Then you should definitely check out my smoked salmon terrine!
Enjoy!
Best Japanese Salmon Tataki Recipe
- 12,5 oz fresh salmon (350 g)
- 1 fresh spring onion
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce or dashi
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
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Pour the vegetable oil in a medium non-stick pan and place it over high heat until hot. Then add the salmon.
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Quickly sear the salmon on all sides. This shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes in total. The salmon still needs to be very raw in the middle. As soon as the salmon is seared well, then take the pan off the heat and place the salmon on a clean plate. Immediately put it in the fridge for 30 minutes until it is cold.
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In the meantime make the marinade. Slice the green part of the spring onion finely and add this together with the freshly grated ginger to a small cup. Then add the soy sauce, fish sauce (or dashi), lemon juice, rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons of cold water.
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Stir well and add the sesame oil and the sesame seeds also.
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Stir again. Then check the seasoning of the marinade and add extra sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice to taste if necessary. Slice the seared salmon up into thin slices and divide the salmon tataki over clean plates. Drizzle the salmon tataki with the marinade. Serve chilled.
Health Benefits Of Salmon
You will love that salmon tataki!
It is one of the most popular fish species in the entire world I think!
And let’s face it, salmon tastes just absolutely good!
Plus I like its texture, especially when you eat it raw. Do you like to eat raw fish? I have come across quite an amount of people who would never touch raw fish. Well that is too bad, raw fish is actually very good for you!
Fish is very good for you.
Salmon for instance contains omega-3 fatty acids, and a bunch of good vitamins and minerals.
No surprise when I say that wild salmon is likely to be more nutritious than salmon from fish farms.
Salmon Recipes
Let’s think of a couple of recipes!
What are your favorite salmon recipes?
Now let me think: that salmon tataki or fish cakes, fish pie, salmon tartar, blackened salmon? I bet that you like at least one of these dishes. And let’s not forget one of the most famous salmon item: smoked salmon! I love smoked salmon, I could eat it every day!
Here are a couple of my recipes with salmon!
Recipe Ideas
Salmon steamed in papillote with spring onion and cilantro, and Spanish salmon with apple cider and ham!
Or what about my smoked salmon appetizers with cream cheese?
And if you need a great lunch salad: smoked salmon salad with avocado, kiwifruit and watercress!
Gosh I could go on and on.
I didn’t realise I had so many salmon recipes actually! It is about time to cook with salmon again in the near future. Problem is that fresh salmon is not always available here in Tenerife. Or I should go and take a look at the frozen version, see what they have to offer and whether I like it or not.
Fresh vs. Frozen
To be honest with you, I would rather wait for a good fresh salmon steak just once a year than use mediocre frozen salmon every week. Especially if you are using raw to nearly raw like this tatami. Then the taste and texture really have to shine though.
Frozen salmon is better for fish cakes, pies and fish stews. I would never add a super fresh slab of salmon to a stew and cook the living daylights out of it until it dies a second time.
Salmon & Bernaise Sauce
I have a large family and I have noticed that my little nieces and nephews are all fond of salmon, even the ones that are not fish eaters at all.
Salmon has a very accessible flavor, it is not too sharp or outspoken fishy like mackerel or sardines.
Besides fresh salmon has a rather velvety texture once it is cooked and it seems to please kids but grown ups as well.
Cooking Challenge
Me personally I love salmon in combination with a good dollop of freshly homemade bearnaise sauce. Add a scoop of oven roasted red potatoes to that and I will love you forever!
In fact I love to prepare this dish ahead and serve it cold, so no dramas in the kitchen when the sauce is not working.
Plenty of time to get rid of the split butter sauce and start again!
No pressure.
I love tataki, and I love the recipe here for tataki.
I did my searing on a salt tile, surface temperature 400-450 F. Doing so, I used scaled salmon still with skin. Putting the skin side down first provided ample fish oil on the surface to prevent the sticking of subsequent sides, and all that stuck was the skin, which can stand being overcooked, and was served separately as a snack.
It may have been my ingredients, but I found the sauce slightly short on sweetness. This was corrected with a very small amount of apple juice.