Sanpei-jiru
Salted salmon and root vegetable soup
Sanpei-jiru (三平汁): Hokkaido's salted salmon and root vegetable soup in a clear kombu broth
Sanpei-jiru is a winter soup from Hokkaido, once made by fishing families with salt-cured salmon, cod or herring that kept through the long snows, and still a warming supper there today. Salted fish simmers in kombu broth with daikon, carrot and potato, and the fish's own salt seasons the soup, so it tastes clean, gently briny and sweet from the roots. A bowl has about 22 g of protein from the salmon. The common mistake is skipping the quick scald of the fish: without it the broth tastes fishy and turns murky. Chef's tip: taste before adding any salt; salted salmon varies a lot, and you may need none at all.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz salted salmon (shiozake)cut into 4 cm pieces; or fresh salmon sprinkled with 2 tsp salt for 2 hours
- ⅓ oz kombuabout 10 cm square
- 1.2 litres water
- 10 ½ oz daikonpeeled, cut into 1 cm half-moons
- 1 carrotcut into 5 mm rounds
- 2 potatoesfloury, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 1 Japanese leek or spring onionssliced diagonally
- ½ tsp saltonly if needed
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak ⅓ oz kombu in 1.2 litres water in a pot for at least 30 minutes (not counted in the times), then heat it slowly and take the kombu out just before the water boils.
10 minStep 2: Put 14 oz salted salmon (shiozake) in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over it, until the surface turns white. This rinses off excess salt and any fishy film.
1 minStep 4: Add the salmon and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, skimming off foam, until the fish is opaque and flakes and the potatoes are tender to a knife.
10 minStep 5: Taste the broth and add ½ tsp salt only if it needs it. Add 1 Japanese leek or spring onions, simmer 1 minute and serve hot.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sanpei-jiru take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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