Binchotan-grilled salmon marinated in miso and ponzu
We’re going to make a very special Japanese dish featuring salmon. First, we’ll marinate it for a full day in white miso and ponzu, which changes the texture and flavour of the salmon. We’ll then grill the salmon on a konro grill. The natural sugars caramelise over the red-hot binchotan coals. Delicious with an assortment of yakitori; serve without any sauces or garnishes.
Ingredients for 8 skewers
- 500 grams of salmon
- 100 grams of white miso
- 100 ml ponzu
- 100 ml mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
- 100 ml sake
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
Preparation
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade using a whisk; there’s no need to heat them.
- Cut off the skin from the salmon, but leave the fat on. It doesn’t look very nice, but this is essential for an authentic Japanese preparation.
- Cut the salmon into 1 cm-thick slices and place them in the marinade.
- Leave this to marinate for 24 to 48 hours. It’s already lovely after 24 hours, but after 48 hours the flavour really penetrates right to the core.
- Thread the salmon onto metal skewers and pat it dry a little.
- Place a sufficient amount of binchotan in the Kasai grill, light it with a few firelighters or kindling, and open the vents.
- Heat until it glows red. Make sure there are no more flames.
- Make sure the sauces and so on are already on the table.
- Let the salmon roast over the charcoal smoke and heat, turning it very frequently – really, every few minutes.
- The salmon will caramelise nicely and cook through. Make sure the salmon stays juicy on the inside, so you’ll need to work quickly.
Applications
- Serve on its own with a selection of yakitori or other Japanese dishes.
- Delicious as part of a starter with cucumber pickled in sushi vinegar, wasabi mayonnaise and soya beans.
- Delicious served with steamed rice and stir-fried pak choi with oyster sauce (see vegetable recipes).
- Serve with a Japanese cucumber salad with goma dressing.
- Serve with grilled baby leeks dressed with ponzu and ginger.
