Lightly seasoned Salmon Flakes are a great all-purpose topping or filling. It‘s so delicious and easy to make at home, too. Prepare a batch ahead of time and use it on steamed rice, pasta, gratin, tamagoyaki, and more!
When comes to feeding my family, I’ve learned that having some make-ahead dishes can be really helpful. But they can’t be merely about convenience: They need to be tasty and nutritious as well.
Today I’ll like to introduce Salmon Flakes (鮭フレーク), a terrific recipe for anyone who is looking to pack more Omega-3 into every meal to stay strong and healthy.
What are Salmon Flakes?
Salmon Flakes is shredded cooked salmon that’s mildly seasoned and used as a versatile sidekick for a great variety of dishes. In Japanese, we say Sha-ke Fu-ray-ku (鮭フレーク). For such a simple dish, the salmon flakes have a lot to offer. The most common way to use them is to sprinkle over rice, like Furikake rice seasonings. Salmon Flakes elevate simple steamed rice with extra nutrients and flavors.
If you go to a Japanese grocery store, you can even find a jar of Salmon Flakes like this (see below).
While the store-bought stuff is tempting, it contains preservatives and unfamiliar ingredients so we will make our own! The great news is it’s ridiculously easy to make. Before I go into how to make Salmon Flakes, let’s go over how to use it with a few recipe ideas.
How to Use the Salmon Flakes
1. Sprinkle over
- Steamed rice
- Ochazuke
- Udon noodle soup
- Soups
- Stir-fried udon noodles
- Baked/mashed potatoes
2. Use as a filling
- Rice ball (Onigiri)
- Onigirazu
- Tamagoyaki
- Quiche
- Puffed pies
- Crispy wontons
3. Mix together
- Pasta (especially Japanese-style pasta with soy sauce- or cream-based!)
- Zosui (rice soup)
- Gratin
- Fried rice
- Stir-fries
- Maze gohan (mixed rice)
- Potato salad
- Dips
How to Prepare Salmon Flakes
This recipe involves 3 simple steps.
- Bake the salmon in the oven till fully cooked.
- Dehydrate the moisture and season the salmon in the frying pan.
- Let cool and store in a jar.
If you keep it in an air-tight container, it lasts for 4 days in the refrigerator and for up to a month in the freezer.
Itadakimasu!
My kids love salmon, and many of you expressed how much you and your children enjoy all my salmon recipes. So I hope this Salmon Flakes recipe will come in handy. I personally love tossing this salmon into pasta or sprinkling it over rice when we need protein or just one more dish. And I’d love to hear some other fun and delicious ideas you have for using the recipe!
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Salmon Flakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon (fillets, with or without skin; I used sockeye salmon, but you can use other types; I like that sockeye has a firm texture and doesn‘t crumble easily)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (plus more, as needed)
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Bake the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC). Sprinkle ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over 1 lb salmon fillets and set aside for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the excess moisture with a paper towel. Transfer the fillets to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the salmon at 425ºF (218ºC) for 10 minutes (5 minutes per ½-inch thickness). Remove from the oven.
- Using chopsticks or a fork, break the salmon into flakes. You can do this directly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove the skin and bones, if any.
To Season the Salmon Flakes
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and coat the pan well. Add the flaked salmon to the pan.
- Add 1 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp mirin and stir well. Let the alcohol evaporate.
- Add 2 tsp soy sauce and stir to combine. Let the moisture evaporate.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight jar once the salmon is completely cool. Your Salmon Flakes are ready to use.
To Store
- You can store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for a month.
Can you make this with canned salmon?
Hello, Isabel. Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
We’ve never tried this recipe with canned salmon, but we believe it would work.
Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi Nami, I made a large batch (3 pounds) for a family onigiri making party. With leftovers, we had steamed rice, the salted salmon and some stir fried ripe kimchi in butter. Everything came out perfect and easy, thank you so much!
Hi Jeannie! Wow! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed all 3 pounds of salmon! Amazing!👏🏻
So are salmon flakes basically the same thing as canned salmon? I make fresh all the time but someone recently told me about the bottle of salmon flakes?
Hello, Liana. Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post.
Salmon flakes are far more flavorful than canned salmon since they are prepared with sake, soy sauce, and other condiments.
If you buy a bottle of salmon flakes from a Japanese or Asian supermarket, the ingredient list should include extra condiments for the Umami flavor. We hope this helps.
Hi, could Chinese rice wine (the kind they make black vinegar out of) be used in place of the sakè in a pinch? Thank you.
Hi Didina, Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
You can substitute Sake with Chinese rice wine. Chinese Shaoxing wine or similar products, Dry sherry also works well.
Here is a post link regarding Sake:https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
Happy Cooking!
I am so happy I found this recipe! Great taste, can be done on the WE and have during the week and my son loves to eat them. Thank you, Nami!
Hi Anna! We are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed Nami’s recipe!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
I just love your recipes.I love the way you categorize them, too, into ones that store well and can be made in advance. Also, the ideas for use of the basics. Thank you so much.
Hi Susan! Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipes!
Thank you very much for trying her recipes and for your kind feedback. Happy Cooking!
I just love this recipe. I have made it many times since I learned it here, and used it in many different preparations, from salads to the gratin you tought us to make. =) ありがとうございます！
Hi Ana! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed them.🥰
Do you need to heat up the salmon flakes next day before you serve it?
Hi Yvonne! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Nami usually serves it over warm cooked rice without heating up. We think it up to your preference.🙂
More Power! Love this😍
Hi Otsuru, Yay! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
Love it. Sure beats sake chazuke nori in the bottle. this is so much cheaper. just got to find those very little kakimochi balls,
Hi Suz, Thank you very much for your kind feedback! Yes. This is a perfect topping for Ochazuke. The little Kakimochi balls are called Bubu Arare, and you may find them in Amazon shop. Hope this helps!
I was introduced to salmon flakes on my last trip to Japan and I thoroughly enjoyed eating them with white rice and nori. I bought a few bottles from Japan and now we buy it from Uwajimaya in Seattle. In coastal India we also eat a lot of fresh fish, shrimp, clams, oysters, dried fish and pickled fish :).
Hi Kirti, We are glad to hear you enjoyed the salmon flakes in Japan! It’s popular in Japan. We hope you enjoy this recipe too.
Is there a version of this recipe where you don’t use an oven?
Hi Jenny, You can pan fry the salmon instead of using an oven. Then continue Step 6 to add the seasonings. We hope this helps!
Have you considered cooking the Salmon in the smoker instead of the oven with a very light smoke?
Hi Paul, Yes. It will add a nice smokey flavor to the salmon! Thank you for sharing your tip!