Seafood
Chum salmon
サケ さけ sake
Also known assake, shake
At its best in Sep, Oct, Nov
When it is at its best
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
In seasonAvailable
How to cook
Shioyaki (salt-grilled)
The standard. Grilled until the skin is fragrant.
Chanchan-yaki (griddled with miso and vegetables)
Griddled with vegetables and miso. A Hokkaido speciality.
Meunière
Pan-fried in butter with lemon.
Ishikari nabe (salmon and vegetable miso hot pot)
Head, bones and vegetables simmered in miso broth.
How to choose
Deep, even flesh colour with fine white marbling. Fillet edges should not be ragged.
Storage
Pat fillets dry, wrap and refrigerate. Freezes well and is easy to handle.
Main areas
Good to know
Fat fish caught just before returning to the rivers are called tokishirazu or keiji, and are treated as rarities.
