Matsumae-zuke Dried Squid and Kombu Pickle

Quick answer

Total time: 65 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Matsumae-zuke is a southern Hokkaido preserve of finely shredded dried squid, kombu, and salted herring roe cured in soy sauce, sake, and mirin until the kombu releases its characteristic viscosity.

It is said to have begun in the Matsumae domain with local seafood. During the great herring fisheries, plentiful roe was used generously; as roe later became expensive, squid and kombu took a larger role. It remains a winter and New Year staple. To handle the traditional week-long cure conservatively at home, this version uses commercial ready-to-eat dried seafood and prepared salted roe, boils and rapidly chills the seasoning, packs it in sanitized equipment, and keeps it continuously at 4°C or colder.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
ready-to-eat dried squid	1	piece
kombu	60	cm
commercial ready-to-eat salted herring roe	3	pieces
yuzu peel	5	g
soy sauce	200	ml
mirin	60	ml
sake	60	ml
salt	2	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

7 steps

1

Season

Desalt 3 herring roe pieces only in a refrigerator at 4°C or colder, following the package time and method.

Remove the thin membrane, pat dry with clean paper towels, and separate into 1cm pieces. Do not soak for long at room temperature.
2

Prep

Cut 1 dried squid along the grain into strips 5cm long and 2mm wide.

Wipe 60cm kombu with a dry cloth and cut to matching thin strips.
3

Season

Bring 200ml soy sauce, 60ml mirin, 60ml sake, and 2g salt to a full boil and hold 1 minute.

Stir the pan over ice water and cool below 10°C within 2 hours.
4

Season

Put squid, kombu, and roe in a glass container sanitized with boiling water and dried completely.

Pour in cold seasoning, mix with a sanitized spatula, and fit a sanitized weight so the ingredients stay submerged.
5

Step

Cure immediately at 4°C or colder for 7 days.

Once daily, turn with a sanitized spatula, press down again, and return promptly to refrigeration. Do not cure or thaw at room temperature.
6

Finish

On day 7, when kombu viscosity is distributed and squid has softened, finely chop 5g yuzu peel and garnish.

Discard without tasting if there is mold, abnormal gas or bubbles, putrid slime, yeasty odor, or foul odor.
7

Step

Use clean tongs for every serving and consume within 10 days from the start of curing.

On day 7, freeze any longer-held portion immediately; thaw in the refrigerator and consume within 24 hours.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Dried squid, kombu, and herring roe
Finish cue: Use clean tongs for every serving and consume within 10 days from the start of curing.
Avoid this: Do not soak for long at room temperature.
Storage and reheating: Desalt 3 herring roe pieces only in a refrigerator at 4°C or colder, following the package time and method.