Ikura Don
I have always loved the simplicity of eating a piping hot bowl of rice along with some super crispy, sesame oil scented sheets of seaweed. There is something so heartwarming about it.
I have always bought prepackaged sheets of seasoned seaweed or Gim-Gui, but really they are SO easy to make.
Recently they were featured on the Netflix show, Culinary Class Wars. A Chef going by the nickname Auntie Omakase made hers using a mixture of perilla and sesame oil.
These were apparently so good, they had people willing to spend over $60 on a bowl of salmon roe rice JUST to eat more of these little squares of seasoned perfection.
Obviously, I had to try it out.
But being a huge fan of Ikura Don myself, I was also willing to splurge a little bit and recreate the whole dish while I was at it.
The combination of the cold /sweet soy seasoned salmon roe, the hot rice, and the salty sesame seaweed sheets? This might have been the most lavish bowl of rice I had all year! haha
So lets make it!
Recipe:
Serves 2
3 cups cooked, short grain rice
100-70g salmon roe (recipe below)
50g tobiko
2 egg yolks (optional)
shiso leaves (optional)
seasoned seaweed/gim (recipe below)
Seasoned Gim:
1 package dried unseasoned seaweed/ gim / nori sheets
1 tbsp perilla oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
fine salt, to season
In a small bowl, combine your perilla and sesame oil.
Place one sheet of seaweed on your work surface, shiny side up!
Using a pastry brush or your hand, brush the top of the seaweed with your perilla/sesame oil mixture.
With your non-greasy hand, sprinkle the surface of the gim with a large pinch of salt.
Place your next sheet of seaweed on top, and repeat the oiling and salting process until you have seasoned the whole package!
Place a nonstick pan, or a skillet, over medium low heat.
Once hot, place a sheet of seaweed in the pan. Using a spatula, press the seaweed down so it makes completely contact with the pan. Move it around frequently as to not burn it, as well, flip it over from side to side to evenly toast the seaweed sheet.
After about 6-8 flips back and forth, and the sheet is looking more crispy, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Repeat this toasting process with the remainder of the seaweed.
Once all the gim have been toasted: stack them up.
Using scissors, cut the stack of seaweed into small even rectangles. You can get about 9 or more rectangles per sheet of seaweed.
Done! They are ready to eat!
If not using right away, store in an airtight container, and optionally with a packet of silica gel to keep them crisp.
Seasoning for Ikura & Yolks:
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp water
1.5 tbsp sake (optional)
2 tbsp mirin
1.5 tbsp white or brown sugar
2” piece dried kombu
In a small saucepan, add all of the above ingredients. Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes to dissolve the sugar granules.
Remove from the heat and transfer the liquid to a small heatproof bowl. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
If choosing to use egg yolks: place the yolks in a small bowl.
Once the marinade has cooled completely, use 1/4 of the marinade to pour over your egg yolks. Place a small piece of paper towel over the tops of the yolks so that the marinade makes complete contact with the surface of the yolks. Marinate the eggs for at least 4 hours.
With the rest of the marinade; transfer your unseasoned salmon roe to the bowl, stir gently to coat them in the marinade.
Let them sit in the seasoning for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or more, but not TOO long), depending on how salty you would like the roe.
Before serving, pour the roe out into a strainer to get rid of excess liquid (you can discard the remaining seasoning or use it for fried rice, other seasoning etc.).
To Plate:
In two smalls bowls, place 1-2 cups of rice per person.
Top each bowl with an equal portion of salmon roe, followed by tobiko, and then your seasoned egg yolks.
Optional: add finely sliced shiso leaves as an embellishment.
Serve with pieces of seasoned seaweed.
Best enjoyed by placing a heaping spoonful of the rice and roe on a piece of seaweed, eat in one bite! Enjoy!
