Nukazuke

Fish

Salmon NukazukeWrapped in Bran for 3 Days in the Fridge, and Grilling Without Burning

Grilled salmon nukazuke on a plate

Salmon and rice bran are a perfect match. The fish turns moist and tender, and it’s outstanding. In Japan, pickling in bran has long been a way to preserve fish; heshiko, from the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast, is fish pickled in nuka.

Because it’s raw fish, don’t put it straight into your main bed. Take out some bran, wrap the fish in it with plastic wrap, pickle it in the fridge, and cook it all the way through before eating.

Prep Cover fillets with bran and wrap in plastic wrap
Pickling time About 3 days in the fridge
To eat Wipe off the bran and cook through over low heat

Food safety

  • Never put raw fish in your main bed: Take out the bran you need into a clean container, and throw it away afterwards.
  • Always pickle in the fridge: At room temperature it will spoil.
  • Use fresh fillets: Pickle them the day you buy them.
  • Don’t eat it raw: Pickling doesn’t make it safe to eat raw like sashimi. Always cook it through to the center, to at least 63°C (145°F).

How to make salmon nukazuke

  1. Pat dry: Wipe the surface of the fillets dry with a paper towel.
  2. Cover with bran: Cover each fillet completely with bran taken from your bed.
  3. Wrap: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, put in a zip-top bag, and keep in the fridge.
  4. Pickle about 3 days: Leave it about 3 days so the bran soaks all the way in.
  5. Wipe off the bran: Bran burns easily, so wipe it off thoroughly with paper towels. Rinsing it off is fine too.
  6. Cook: Grill or pan-fry it slowly over low heat. In a frying pan, lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil helps keep it from sticking and burning.

From bed to plate

A package of autumn salmon fillets in a colander

This time we used autumn salmon (akizake, chum salmon) from the Sea of Okhotsk, off Hokkaido.

Salmon covered with bran and wrapped in plastic wrap
Salmon unwrapped after 3 days of pickling
Pickled salmon with the bran removed

The flesh turned slightly paler, a sign that the bran has soaked in.

Salmon nukazuke cooking on aluminum foil

Bran burns easily, so cook it slowly over low heat.

Cooked salmon nukazuke on a plate
Grilled salmon nukazuke flaked with chopsticks

Moist and plump, and the saltiness from the bran is just right.

How to eat it

  • As grilled fish: With rice. Grated daikon on the side keeps it light.
  • Flaked: In ochazuke (rice with tea poured over it) or as an onigiri filling.

Pork belly can be pickled the same way.

What to pickle next