Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu is a slightly different sashimi dish from normal Sashimi (Sliced Raw Fish). It is marinated in a Western-style dressing with yuzu (a citrus fruit) juice. The distinct fragrance of yuzu gives a Japanese touch to the dressing.
Although the marinade contains vinegar and citrus juice, the surface of the salmon is not cured like ceviche. The whole salmon fillet is marinated before slicing it, then the salmon slices are served with the marinade over them.
The aromatic yuzu fragrance makes this dish so refreshing and delicious.
I referenced the salmon recipe from the Japanese website, sirogohan (白ごはん.com). I adjusted the recipe slightly and added notes for people who might not be able to get a fresh yuzu fruit easily (like me!).
About Yuzu
Yuzu is a citrus fruit that originated in China. It was introduced into Japan via the Korean peninsula about 1500 years ago, during the Nara period (710 -794). Yuzu is mainly cultivated in Japan and Korea now. Kochi prefecture is the number 1 yuzu producer in Japan. Yuzu is either green or orangish yellow, depending on the ripeness.
Yuzu has a sharp sour taste and is very aromatic. It is quite difficult to explain the taste and the fragrance of yuzu, but it tastes like a combination of lemon, grapefruit, and mandarin. Some people say that yuzu smells like grapefruit + lemon, but I think that yuzu is even more aromatic.
It is not common to eat yuzu as a fruit because of the tartness, but the aromatic zest and juice are widely used in Japanese food and drinks. Because yuzu has a strong citrus fragrance, a small amount of zest or juice gives a refreshing aroma to a dish. Perhaps because of this, the word ‘yuzu’ reminds people of Japanese cuisine.
In Japan, it is said that you will not catch a cold if you take a bath with floating whole yuzu fruits on the day of the Winter Solstice. I remember taking a yuzu bath when I was a child. I would love to have a yuzu bath (it helps better blood circulation) but fresh yuzu is not readily available where I live, so I can’t have a yuzu bath, unfortunately.
Even if you can’t buy fresh yuzu fruits, you can by a bottle of freshly squeezed yuzu juice.
You can also by a packet of freeze-dried yuzu zests and freeze-dried granular yuzu powder, although thえ powder has an artificial yuzu fragrance added to it. These products are available at Japanese grocery stores and some Asian grocery stores.
Left: Freeze-dried chopped yuzu zest. Right: freeze-dried granular yuzu powder.
What’s in my Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu
- Sashimi grade salmon fillet (a block, not sliced)
- Salt
- Sugar
- Thinly sliced onion
- Yuzu zest
- Freshly grated yuzu zest (optional)
Since I can’t buy fresh yuzu fruits, I bought a tiny yuzu tree in a pot and grew it in my backyard. Early this year, it produced two small fruits, so I used them for this recipe. I harvested them too early, so my yuzu fruits were half yellow and half green (see the photo on the right).
If you can’t source fresh yuzu fruit, substitute yuzu zest with lemon or lime zest.
Yuzu Marinade
- Olive oil
- Yuzu juice
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
- Pepper
- Soy sauce (optional)
If you have a ripe fresh yuzu fruit, you can get yuzu juice out of it. If you don’t have a fresh yuzu fruit, you can buy a small bottle of yuzu juice at Japanese/Asian grocery stores. The fragrance of yuzu is the important aspect of this dish, so please do not substitute it with lemon/lime juice.
How to Make Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu
- Sprinkle salt and sugar over the salmon fillet and cure it.
- Rinse the salt and sugar off the salmon fillet, then pat dry.
- Put the salmon fillet, sliced onion, yuzu zest, and all the Yuzu Marinade ingredients in a plastic bag or a zip lock bag. Marinate for 3 hours to overnight.
- Remove the salmon from the bag, slice it thinly, and place the salmon slices on a serving plate.
- Scatter the onion slices in the marinade over the salmon, then pour some marinade over it.
- Freshly grate yuzu zest over the salmon.
Coating the salmon with sugar and salt before marinating it adds saltiness to the flesh as well as removing excess moisture.
You will probably have more than enough sliced onion. If you use all of it, you might completely cover the salmon. I used about ⅔ of the onions in the bag.
Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu is a unique and delicious sashimi dish with a nice presentation. The fragrance from the yuzu is so good.
I had very positive feedback from my friends and Nagi. I hope you like it.
Yumiko
Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu is a refreshing sashimi dish, marinated in a Western-style dressing with yuzu (a citrus fruit) juice. The distinct fragrance of yuzu gives a Japanese touch to this dish. It can be served as an appetiser or a main. The recipe is sourced from the salmon recipe from the Japanese website, sirogohan (白ごはん.com).
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 250g/8.8oz sashimi grade salmon fillet (skinless, note 1)
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 50g/1.8oz onion , very thinly sliced
- 1 tsp yuzu zest (grated, note 2)
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp yuzu juice (note 3)
- 2 tsp vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp soy sauce (optional)
- A pinch of pepper
- Freshly grated yuzu zest (or granular yuzu powder, lime zest, optional)
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Mix 1½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sugar, then coat the entire surface of the salmon fillet with it.
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Place the salmon on a plate, cover with cling wrap and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours.
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Quickly rinse the salt and sugar off the salmon fillet, then pat dry.
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Put all the Yuzu Marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the sugar and the salt are dissolved.
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Place the salmon, onion slices, and yuzu zest in a plastic bag or a ziplock bag, then add the Yuzu Marinade to the bag.
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Massage the bag gently ensuring that the vegetables are evenly spread, and the fillet is evenly coated with the marinade.
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Seal the bag after removing the air from the bag as much as possible. Marinate the salmon in the fridge for at least 3 hours, up to overnight.
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Remove the salmon from the bag, scraping off the onion into the bag, and place the salmon on a cutting board. Do not discard the marinade in the bag.
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Slice the salmon thinly into about 5mm/3⁄16" thick pieces.
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Place the sliced salmon on a serving plate (I folded them and lined them up to form a squarish shape).
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Scatter the onion slices in the marinade on the salmon pieces, then drizzle the marinade over the salmon (note 4).
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Grate yuzu using a Microplane or cheese grater over the salmon, if using.
1. If possible, get a dorsal side of sashimi block (see the photo in the post) rather than a standard salmon fillet. The difference is that the sashimi block is narrow and long with just the right width and the direction to slice the flesh to make sashimi.
The standard salmon fillet is made by cutting a side of salmon perpendicular to the back bone. To make sashimi slices from a standard fillet, you’d need to halve the fillet to split into the dorsal side and the belly side before making sashimi slices.
2. If you don’t have a fresh yuzu fruit, use one of the following as an alternative, in preferred order.
i) Freeze-dried yuzu zests (see the sample photo in the post), finely chopped.
ii) Freeze-dried granular yuzu powder (see the sample photo in the post).
iii) Grated lime zest.
3. You should be able to get 1 tablespoon of juice squeezed out of a fresh yuzu fruit. If not sufficient, top up with a bottled yuzu juice (see the sample photo in the post).
If you don’t have a fresh yuzu fruit, use bottled yuzu juice.
4. It is up to you how much marinade you want to drizzle over the salmon. It is probably too much to use all the marinade in the bag, but the dish looks good if you can see small patches of marinade puddled around the salmon.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings. It is assumed that 25% of the marinade is consumed.
serving: 54g calories: 105kcal fat: 7.1g (9%) saturated fat: 1.5g (8%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g monounsaturated fat: 2.7g cholesterol: 23mg (8%) sodium: 338mg (15%) carbohydrates: 1.2g (0%) dietary fibre: 0.2g (1%) sugar: 0.6g protein: 8.6g vitamin D: 5mcg (23%) calcium: 7mg (1%) iron: 0.2mg (1%) potassium: 165mg (4%)
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
Although use of yuzu and sashimi implies a Japanese food, today’s dish somewhat resembles a Western-style dish. So, I picked Western-style dishes today, having Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu as a starter.
A pasta dish goes very well with Marinated Salmon Sashimi, and so does a soy milk soup. If soy milk soup is not your favourite, I would recommend a Japanese-style Pumpkin Soup – Pumpkin Surinagashi. the other two dishes can be mainly vegetables with a light flavouring.
- Main: Brussels Sprouts, Shiitake, and Ham Pasta – or another pasta dish of your choice.
- Side dish 1: Marinated Salmon Sashimi in Yuzu – today’s recipe, can make ahead since it takes minimum several hours to make.
- Side dish 2: Marinated Cherry Tomatoes Two Ways – use Shiro Dashi Marinade, not Yuzu Honey Marinade.
- Salad: Chinese Cabbage and Apple Salad – or other simple salad.
- Soup: Broccoli and Soy Milk Soup – or Surinagashi such as Japanese-style Pumpkin Soup (Pumpkin Surinagashi). Japanese-style Turnip Soup (Turnip Surinagashi) is also good.
This sounds fabulous. I sometimes have raw tuna with a passionfruit, lime dressing. We love it. I’m definitely trying this.
Hi Gillian, please do and let me know what you think.
Mum, I don’t understand the first step. Does the salt and sugar go on the salmon? Sides, top and underside? It reads as though you sprinkle it around not on the salmon which sounds unusual?
changed the instruction.
Can vouch for this one, having been lucky enough to have it multiple times!! Can see myself making this for dinner parties. Love it mum!
Thank you, Nagi!
Thank you for providing suggestions for a dinner menu. It’s wonderful seeing all the additional dishes to be served alongside the Yuzu Salmon. So many times I am at a loss for accompaniment dishes. Your site is amazing! Arigato!
Hi Ruth, douitashimashite!