A popular soup from Hokkaido, Sanpeijiru features salted salmon and a variety of root vegetables and cooked in kombu dashi broth. You'd enjoy this delicate and tasty soup on a cold day!

Sanpeijiru

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb salmon scraps (1 lb = 450 g) (“ara” or “kiriotoshi” in Japanese) (see Note)
• 3 Salted Salmon fillets (Recipe)
• 1 kombu (dried kelp) (Palm sized)
• 4 cups water (4 cups = 960 ml)
• 1 daikon radish (1 daikon = 8" or 20 cm long)
• 1 carrot
• 2 Negi (long green onion) (or 4 scallions/green onions)
• 2 potatoes (I use Yukon Gold potatoes)
• 4 Tbsp sake
• 1 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.

   
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut salmon scraps into 2-3” (5-8 cm) pieces.
3. Cut the salted salmon filets in half.
4. When water is boiling, blanch all the salmon scraps and salted salmon fillets for 30 seconds. This will help get rid of fishy smell and remove some of saltiness. Read my blog post about the reason why this step is essential.
5. Drain and rinse each salmon piece with water and get rid of the fat, protein (white stuff), and sometimes scales. It’s important to get rid of the smelly oil. Read more about it in the post.
6. Put all the salmon in a large pot and add 4 cups (960 ml) water.
7. Add Kombu and cover with the lid. Slowly bring it to boil so that kombu has enough time to release its umami.
8. Meanwhile peel and cut daikon radish in quarters lengthwise. Then slice thinly.
9. Peel and slice carrot into thin rounds (or halves or quarters, depends on the size).
10. Cut Tokyo negi (or long negi or scallions) into ½ inch (cm) pieces diagonally. All the veggies except for the potatoes are ready to go.
11. When the soup is almost boiling, discard the kombu. Kombu gets slimy and release bitter taste in boiling water, so for Japanese cooking we discard Kombu right before boiling. Using a fine mesh sieve, scoop foam, fat, and any scum you see floating on the surface of the soup. This is very important process to achieve a nice clean flavor. Some people cook vegetables first and then add salmon, but I prefer cooking salmon first so it’s easier to clean the soup before adding vegetables.
12. Once the soup is clean, add the vegetables. Place the lid and continue to cook until vegetables are almost tender (80% done).
13. Meanwhile, peel the potato and remove the potato eyes (sprouts) if there are any.
14. Cut the potato into bite size cubes (I cut each potato into 8 pieces) and soak in water to remove starch.
15. When daikon is semi translucent and tender (no more raw hard part), add the potatoes, which take about 15 minutes to become tender (depends on the size).
16. With the fine mesh sieve, scoop more fat and foam if there are any.
17. Add sake and salt. Add more salt if necessary. Saltiness depends on the salmon, so you should taste the soup before seasoning. Serve hot and enjoy!

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