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Japanese Breakfast: 2 nights before

The first and biggest prep session for your luxurious morning meal.
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 4 people

Instructions

Cure the salmon

  • (Note: It's easy to pre-make a lot more salmon. When cured, just take the additional fillets and freeze them inside vacuum freezer bags.)
  • Lay the salmon fillets out on a tray and coat with sake. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Pat salmon dry.
  • Rub all the salt on the salmon, starting with the skin. (It may seem like a lot, that's alright!)
  • Place a paper towel in an airtight container, place the salmon inside.
  • Place another paper towel on top, close the box and place in the fridge.
    Four salmon fillets covered in sake and kosher salt are placed inside a glass Tupperware container padded with paper towels.

Pickle carrot & radish

  • Peel and julienne the daikon and carrot.
  • Place daikon and carrot in a freezer bag, add the salt and let it rest for a few minutes to draw out the moisture, then thoroughly squeeze out the excess water.
  • Combine rice vinegar and sugar in a saucepan.
  • Set to medium heat and bring to a boil while stirring, then turn off the heat.
  • Once cooled, pour the brine into the bag and squeeze the lemon into it.
  • Place the whole bag in the fridge (e.g. inside a bowl or airtight container).
    Julienned carrots and radish are pickled inside a freezer bag, with some leftover liquid in a jar in the back.

Make sesame spinach

  • Briefly toast sesame seeds in an ungreased frying pan until fragrant.
  • Grind the toasted sesame seeds in a mortar, leave some intact for texture.
  • Add soy sauce and sugar, mix well and set aside.
  • Bring water to a boil in a pot. Once boiling, add salt.
  • Cook the spinach for about a minute, then immediately cool off in cold water.
  • Cut the spinach into 2.5 cm long chunks, then mix with sauce in an airtight container. Store in the fridge.
    Cooked spinach is mixed with sesame seasoning inside of a glass Tupperware container for Japanese Sesame Spinach.

Make dashi

  • Put water into a pot and let kombu soak in it for 30 minutes.
  • Slowly bring to a boil, this should take around 10 minutes.
  • Once boiling, remove kombu and add katsuobushi instead, let boil for 10 seconds.
  • Take off the heat and let katsuobushi soak for 10 minutes.
  • Pour broth into a mason jar. Use a sieve or cheese cloth to get rid of impurities if you want.
  • Let cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge.
    A glass jar of Japanese dashi is standing on the table.