I credit the basis of this recipe to Nigella Lawson. Her recipe can be found in the book Nigella Bites. Here’s my take on her raw salmon recipe. It is great for those of us on high protein diets for building muscle. There comes a time when you just can’t handle the same cooked chicken again. This is a refreshing change that fits right in.
Slice the fresh salmon into thin strips, or into small .5 cm cubes. The cubes are more like Hawaiian poke for those of you familiar with the wonderful fish salsa. Put the sliced salmon in a flat dish. Pour over it the mixture below and let it sit for an hour in the fridge before serving. It’s great the next day as well so you can prepare this ahead if you need. The sauce will cook the salmon slightly giving it a less slippery texture if that is a concern. The brand of soy sauce is important. Japanese and Chinese soy sauces are very different. Kikkoman is a Japanese brand, but there are many different types of soy sauce available and some are very strong and can overpower the salmon. The ginger is easiest to peel with the back of a spoon. Grate it using a ceramic ginger grater; it does a better job at removing the stringy bits than other ways of grating. For me, the sesame oil is not optional; it gives the sauce a wonderful flavour. Chop the green onions or chives into small pieces to sprinkle over before serving. I’ve thought that would be nice with chopped red onion instead of the chives. I’ll try that next time and report how it goes.
500 g fresh salmon
Sauce:
60 ml white rice wine vinegar
60 ml of Kikkoman soy sauce.
3 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
Garnish:
4 stalks of chives or green onions