Flavorful salmon rolled up in kombu and tied with kanpyo (gourd strips), Salmon Kombu Roll is a traditional Japanese dish for the New Year. Representing the secrets of perennial youth and long life, you may be tempted to devour more than one of these exquisite appetizers. 

Salmon Kombu Roll

INGREDIENTS

• 8 pieces Hidaka Kombu (See Notes)
• 5 cups water (for soaking kombu)
• ½ oz dried kanpyo (gourd strips) (15 g) (I used the whole package)
• 1 tsp. salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt) (for rubbing kanpyo)
• 2 cups water (for de-salting salmon)
• 1 tsp. salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt) (for de-salting salmon)
• 3 fillets salted salmon (See Notes; skip for vegan/vegetarian)

Seasonings

• ⅓ cup sake (80 ml)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce (divided)
• 3 Tbsp mirin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Soak the kombu in 5 cups of water for 30 minutes. Reserve this kombu water (aka Kombu Dashi), yielding roughly 4 cups, as we will be using it for cooking later.
3. Soak kanpyo in water for 15 minutes and drain. Quickly rinse kanpyo under running water and rub it with 1 tsp kosher salt. Rinse again and drain well.
4. In a flat container, add 2 cups of water and 1 tsp kosher salt. Place the salmon fillets and set aside for 30 minutes to de-salt the salmon.
5. Remove the salmon from the salted water and gently pat dry with paper towel.
6. Using a sharp knife, remove bones off the salmon (if there is any on your fillet).
7. If you have kitchen tweezers, they help remove the bones from the flesh very easily. Finally remove the skin.
8. Cut the salmon fillets into a roughly 3.5” x ¾” log shape (or any shape that is easy to roll up in the kombu). The width of salmon should match with the width of kombu.
9. Wipe off the excess moisture on kombu with paper towel.

   
10. Wrap the log shaped salmon with kombu. Pull up the other end of kombu a few times as you roll tightly.
11. Once all the kombu is rolled up, tie each one with kanpyo. Depends on the width of kombu, you might need to make 1 to 3 ties. Think about the final serving size and decide on the location of the knots. Here each kombu makes 2 salmon kombu roll pieces as I would be cutting each roll in half. Therefore, I’d need 2 ties/knots.
12. Place the kombu roll in a large pot (I use Le Creuset 3.5 QT). Add the reserved kombu dashi until kombu is fully submerged, roughly 3 cups. You don’t have to use all of the kombu dashi, but save it just in case you need to add more liquid later.
13. Add sake and rice vinegar.
14. Place the Otoshibuta (drop lid - see how we can make it with aluminum foil) on the salmon kombu roll. We do not use a regular lid throughout the cooking process. Once boiling, skim off the foam and scum on the surface. Then cook on a gentle simmer for 1 hour. If the cooking liquid evaporates too fast, add the reserved Kombu Dashi (I did not need to).
15. Insert a wooden skewer to check if the kombu has become tender.
16. Once it’s tender, add sugar and half of the soy sauce (1.5 Tbsp).
17. Instead of using utensils (that can potentially break down the kombu), hold the pot and swirl it around to mix the seasonings and coat with the food. Cook covered (with otoshibuta) on simmer for 15 minutes.
18. Add mirin and the rest of soy sauce (1.5 Tbsp) and cook covered with the otoshibuta on simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the cooking liquid is almost gone. Once it’s done cooking, remove from the heat and let cool.
19. Once cool enough to handle, cut the kombu in half (if you have 2 ties). If you like, cut off both ends for better presentation.

To Serve and Store

1. Serve at room temperature in Osechi Ryori. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days and you can also freeze the kombu roll.

RECIPE NOTES

Hidaka Kombu: Among all the different kombu, Hidaka Kombu is known for its tender texture after rehydration. This kombu also cooks and becomes tender faster than other kinds.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/salmon-kombu-roll/