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–+ servings

Salmon Maze Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 200 g salmon fillets not overly fatty, or trout
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 100 g mushroom of your choice fresh, I used shiitake
  • 100 g carrots
  • 1 tbsp ginger root
  • 1 tsp cooking oil neutral
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 1½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 660 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice steaming hot, or Calrose (not long-grain)
  • ¼ tsp rice vinegar unseasoned
  • 1 tbsp ground sesame seeds toasted white
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 shiso leaves sliced, for topping
  • kizami nori (shredded nori) for topping

Instructions 

  • Before you start, cook your rice using your preferred method and keep it warm. This recipe uses 660 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice (one Japanese rice cup contains 150g raw rice and yields approx 330g cooked rice).
    pot of rice with lid on stove
  • Sprinkle 200 g salmon fillets with ¼ tsp salt on both sides and rest for 15 minutes. Thinly slice 100 g mushroom of your choice, julienned 100 g carrots and 1 tbsp ginger root and shred 5 shiso leaves.
    Ingredients for salmon maze gohan prepped and laid out on steel plates
  • After 15 minutes, pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper.
    patting salted salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper
  • Heat a pan on medium and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Place the salmon fillets skin side down and fry for 2 minutes undisturbed. Flip and fry on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
    two salmon fillets frying in a wok on the stove top
  • Add the mushrooms, carrots and ginger to the pan and stir fry everything together while breaking the salmon into flakes with a spatula.
    Salmon fillets broken into flakes and mixed with thinly sliced carrots, mushrooms and ginger in a wok on the stove
  • Once the vegetables have softened, push everything to one side and pour 2 tsp mirin into the empty space. Let it bubble for 10-15 seconds, then add 1½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and let it bubble and reduce for about 10-15 seconds.
    soy sauce added to empty space in the wok
  • Mix the salmon and vegetables into the reduced mirin and soy sauce until evenly distributed, then turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp unsalted butter until it's melted and coated the mixture.
    melting butter over ingredients for salmon maze gohan in a wok
  • Pour ¼ tsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp ground sesame seeds over the 660 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice. Fold them in with a rice paddle.
    freshly cooked rice in a rice cooker pot topped with ground sesame seeds
  • Add the contents of the pan to the rice and mix with a rice paddle using a cut and fold motion so that you don't crush the rice.
    flavored pan-fried salmon and vegetables mixed with rice in a black rice cooker pot
  • Taste test and add more soy sauce or sesame seeds to taste.
    a spoonful of salmon maze gohan held over rice cooker pot
  • Divide into serving bowls and top with kizami nori (shredded nori) and the shredded shiso leaves. Enjoy!
    Salmon maze gohan topped with shredded nori and shiso leaves on a white background

Notes

Stop mixing after 10-15 folds once ingredients are evenly distributed. Over-mixing breaks down the rice grains and creates a heavy, gummy texture .
If using leftover rice, reheat it until steaming hot with added moisture before mixing. The rice must be hot when you mix in the salmon mixture.
If using store-bought salmon flakes, reduce the soy sauce by half and toast the flakes briefly in a dry pan. Pre-seasoned flakes are already salted.
You can prep the salmon and vegetable mixture up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Mix it with freshly cooked hot rice right before serving to prevent moisture migration.
Refrigerated maze gohan becomes hard and loses its springy texture within 1-2 day.
Cool the mixed rice completely before freezing to prevent condensation.
Serving ideas: Authentic Miso Soup, Spinach Ohitashi, Dashimaki Tamago, Kinpira Gobo