Salmon Skin Roll

Chef

Cookbook

The Sushi Experience

Published by Knopf

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This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Editor's Note: Show off your cooking skills to that special someone in a new way when you make this recipe for Salmon Skin Roll. If you've always wanted to try making sushi in the comfort of your own kitchen, but were too intimidated to start, then this recipe is just what you need. The salmon skin, which can be purchased at your favorite grocery store, gives this sushi roll a distinct taste that you're sure to love. Consider serving this Salmon Skin Roll at your next get-together with friends or other special occasions, too. This is one recipe that's meant to be shared with others!

To prepare this roll, you need the skin of a smoked salmon. Because they live in cold water, salmon build up a particularly delicious thick layer of fat under the skin, making their skin best for this preparation. Purchase smoked salmon with the skin or ask for the skin at your local fishmonger or food store. In many food shops where smoked salmon is cut to order from a large fillet, this delicious skin may simply be thrown away.

I cook the skin in a skillet (no oil is added). The layer of fat attached to the skin gradually melts during cooking and makes it crisp. The pickled mountain burdock — a long, thin, orange-colored root vegetable about 8 inches in length, often packed in a plastic bag containing eight to ten pieces with pickling solution — can be found at Japanese or Asian food stores. If it is not available, use carrot instead.

CostModerate

Easy

Make Ahead RecipeYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Cocktail Party, Cooking for a date

Recipe CourseAppetizer, Main Course

MealDinner, Lunch

Taste and TextureChewy, Crisp, Salty, Savory, Sharp, Tangy

Ingredients

½ pound skin of smoked salmon
1 package yamagobo no tsukemono (pickled mountain burdock) or 5 ounces julienned carrot, 3 inches long
1 small Kirby cucumber (2 ounces), julienned, 3 inches long
2/3 package kaiware (daikon sprouts) (2 ounces), roots removed
1 scallion, finely sliced
½ cup toasted white sesame seeds
6 cups (lightly packed) prepared sushi rice (7/8 cup, 4.2 ounces, per roll)
7 half-sheets nori (laver); choose the thicker variety

Instructions

Put the salmon skin in a skillet, skin side down, and cook over medium-low heat until it is golden and crispy, turning it over once. Remove from the skillet and cut it into ¼-inch-wide strips, 8 inches long. Cut the pickled mountain burdock in half crosswise and then cut each piece in half lengthwise.
Line up all the filling ingredients (salmon skin, cucumber, pickled mountain burdock, daikon sprouts, scallion, and white sesame seeds) on a tray, then follow the Master Recipe.