My kids love Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna that is so popular at Katsuya, our local sushi restaurant. But I am always encouraging them to eat less tuna because of its high level of mercury. On the weekend we enjoy cooking together as a family and I thought we should try to make Crispy Rice with Spicy Salmon. We already had sushi molds, we just needed some sushi grade salmon. We’ve made it a couple times now and it rivals Katsuya!
My son is in a U5 basketball league that plays on Sunday mornings in Chatsworth. Chatsworth is a solid 25 minute freeway drive from our house. The upside is that my favorite Korean Market, Galleria, is a short detour on our way home. There are several Galleria locations but this one is by far my favorite. They have an incredible selection of fruit and vegetables and their fish department is top notch. Baby octopus, abalone and whole fish are all on display. We grabbed a nice piece of sushi grade salmon so we could make our Crispy Rice with Spicy Salmon. We also picked up some of our favorite things – enoki and oyster mushrooms, shiso leaf, big fat cheap shallots, La Yu, Ra Yu, Ponzu, fresh crop brown rice, Ramune … The list goes on!
We prefer to make our own versions of spicy salmon. So we divide the fish and make our own creations. I like my salmon a little chunkier, Zak likes his a little spicier, Jonathan likes a little more mayo and Mazie likes ponzu in hers. The hot crunchy rice and the salmon go so beautifully together.
Check out Monterey Bay Aquariums comprehensive guide to seafood. They help you choose seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that have less impact on the environment.
Crispy Rice with Spicy Salmon
serves 4
Ingredients
For the rice
3 “cups” sushi rice (the rice cooker cup is smaller that a regular cup)
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/8 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup vegetable oil
3/4 lb sushi grade salmon
Mayo
Hot sauce (we prefer Sriracha)
Garnish
Shiso leaf
Jalapeno
Shallot
Lemon
Salt
Instructions
Cook rice on stove or in rice cooker as directed.
Combiner rice vinegar, sugar and salt and microwave for thirty seconds until dissolved. Pour this mixture over warm rice.
Heat cast iron pan. Lightly spray pan with oil to ensure rice doesn’t stick. Roast jalapeños at top of pan.
Place rice into molds and push molded rice onto cutting board covered with plastic wrap. Mix sesame oil and vegetable oil in bowl and lightly brush rice before you put in cast iron pan. Heat rice until lightly blackened and crusty. Gently flip rice (they are delciate) and brush with bit more oil.
Slice the fish then dice to desired consistency. Add mayo and hot sauce.
Dice jalapeno and shallot and add few squeezes of lemon and a pinch of salt.
Add salmon to rice. Top the spicy salmon with a small spoonful of diced jalapeño and shallot mixture. Garnish with a shiso leaf.
