Tokishirazu no Yakizuke (Soy-Marinated Spring Salmon)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 4
About this dish
Sake no yakizuke is a Hokkaido specialty using tokishirazu salmon caught along the coast from spring into summer.
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Four salmon portions marinate for half a day in soy sauce and sake, then grill while early coats of marinade build a glossy surface. Tokishirazu differs from ordinary autumn salmon returning to spawn: it is caught young during migration, before fat and nutrients move into roe or milt, so the flesh stays especially rich and soft. A fresh moderately fatty salmon fillet works when tokishirazu is unavailable. Families served the dish with sekihan during the June Hokkaido Shrine Festival, and it remains suitable both for rice and drinks. Marinade that touched raw fish is used only during the early cooking stage, and the final minutes cook without further brushing until the center is safe.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Combine soy sauce and sake in a food-safe sealable bag.
Pat the salmon dry, add it, press out the air, seal, and refrigerate 6 to 12 hours, turning once halfway.
- 2Finish
Remove the salmon and let excess marinade drip off onto a separate plate.
Pour remaining marinade into a small pan, boil fully for 1 minute, and reserve only for brushing during the first part of cooking.
- 3Season
Preheat the grill to medium-high and place the salmon skin-side first.
Grill 5 minutes, turn, and cook 4 minutes more while brushing twice thinly with the boiled marinade.
- 4Heat
Stop brushing and grill 3 to 5 minutes longer for gloss and browning.
Remove when the thickest center reaches at least 63°C and flakes easily.
- 5Finish
Steam or grill the seasonal vegetables while the salmon cooks.
Divide one salmon portion and 100 g vegetables onto each of four plates and serve hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Tokishirazu salmon marinates half a day in soy sauce and sake under refrigeration.
- Finish cue
- Steam or grill the seasonal vegetables while the salmon cooks.
- Storage and reheating
- Marinate only under refrigeration, keep the raw-fish bag and plate away from other foods, and verify the center temperature.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
30min, 4 ingredients
Category median
22min, 7 ingredients
Based on 261 recipes