Salmon Takikomi Gohan (Rice Cooked with Salmon)

Name: Salmon Takikomi Gohan (Rice Cooked with Salmon)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 (2 rice cups)
Ingredients: Lightly salted salmon (fillets) 2 fillets (about 160 g); Shimeji mushrooms 1/2 pack (about 50 g); Green onions 2 stalks; Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1/2 tsp; Rice 2 rice cups (360 ml); Sake (Japanese rice wine) 2 tbsp; Soy sauce 2 tsp; Toasted white sesame seeds 1 tbsp; Paper towels 2 sheets; Colander 1

🍱 For a bento

Serves 4 (2 rice cups) · About 1 hr 30 min (30 min of this is just soaking the rice in water, and while it cooks you just wait)
Made in the rice cooker. Cook lightly salted salmon on top of the rice, then remove the bones and skin, flake it, and mix it in.

① Wash the rice and soak in water→② Prep the salmon and shimeji→③ Add seasonings and water→④ Put the salmon on top and cook→⑤ Flake the salmon and mix in

What to buy

Fish

Lightly salted salmon (fillets)Labeled "amakuchi" or "amajio" (lightly salted). With raw salmon, add 1/2 tsp salt2 fillets (about 160 g)

Vegetables & mushrooms

Shimeji mushroomsOptional1/2 pack (about 50 g)Green onionsOptional2 stalks

Seasonings & dry goods

Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1/2 tsp

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How to make it

Wash the rice, soak it in water, then drain

Wash 5 min + soak 30 min

Put 2 rice cups of rice in a bowl, add water, swirl it around with your hand, and pour off the cloudy water right away. Do this 3–4 times
Soak in plenty of water for 30 min (cut the toppings during this time)
Drain in a colander and drain the water well

How to tell it's doneThe rice has changed from see-through to whitish (a sign it has soaked up water).

Be carefulIf you put the soaked rice straight into the rice cooker with the water, there is too much water and it gets mushy. Always drain it in a colander.

Pat the salmon dry and separate the shimeji

About 5 min

Salmon: Pat both sides dry with paper towels (the water causes a fishy smell)
Shimeji mushrooms: Cut off the hard clump at the bottom and pull them apart by hand
Green onions: Cut from the end into 2–3 mm slices

How to tell it's doneWhen you touch the surface of the salmon, your finger doesn't get wet.

Be carefulWash with dish soap your hands, the cutting board and the knife that touched raw fish before touching other food.

Rice and seasonings into the inner pot, then water

About 2 min

Put the drained rice in the inner pot of the rice cooker
Add 2 tbsp sake, 2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp dashi granules
Then add water up to the '2' line in the inner pot, and stir once from the bottom

How to tell it's doneThe water level after adding the seasonings is exactly at the '2' line.

Be carefulIf you add water to the '2' line first and then add seasonings, there is too much liquid and the rice gets too soft. Follow the order.

Put the salmon and shimeji on top and cook as usual

Rice cooker regular setting (about 40–60 min)

Spread the shimeji over the rice and put the salmon in the middle skin-side up
Don't mix
Close the lid and cook on the regular (white rice) setting. If there is a 'mixed rice' setting, use that

How to tell it's doneThe rice cooker's 'done' sound plays.

Let steam 10 min, then flake the salmon and mix in

Steam 10 min + flake 5 min

After it finishes, wait 10 min without opening the lid
Take the salmon out onto a plate with a rice paddle. Peel off the skin, feel for the bones with your fingertips and remove them all, and flake into bite-size pieces with chopsticks
Put the salmon back in the rice cooker bowl and mix in big scoops from the bottom with the rice paddle. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with green onions and white sesame seeds

ReadyThe salmon is light orange all the way through, with no half see-through dark red parts. No bones are left in the flaked fish.

Be carefulFreshly cooked salmon is very hot. Put it on a plate and let it cool a little before touching.

Be carefulIf the middle of the fish is half see-through and dark reddish, put it back in the rice cooker bowl, close the lid, leave it on "keep warm" for 10 more min, and check again.

Be carefulCheck again for small bones so they don't get stuck in anyone's throat, especially when small children are eating.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Dashi Konegi (green onion)Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Hitokuchi-dai (bite-size)Koguchi-giri (thin rounds)

If it didn't work out

Too saltyYou used strongly salted "karakuchi" salmon. Next time, choose "amakuchi" or "amajio", or cook without soy sauce. For this batch, mix in plain rice to make it less salty.

I got a bone in my mouthYou missed some in step 5. Before flaking, gently press the fish with your fingers to feel for hard spots. There's a line of thick bones down the middle of the fish.

It smells fishyYou didn't pat it dry enough in step 2. Next time, pat the front, back and skin dry well. Don't forget the 2 tbsp sake.

The middle of the salmon seems rawThick fillets are hard to cook through. If it's still not done after 10 min on "keep warm," put just that piece on a microwave-safe plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and heat in a 600 W microwave 30 sec at a time until it's light orange all the way through.

Soggy and too softThe rice wasn't drained enough, or you added the water before the seasonings. Next time, follow the order in step 3.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me