Miso Salmon Crudo (Carpaccio) is a robustly flavored appetizer that features fresh salmon dressed in miso-shoyu sauce. Top the buttery salmon with sesame seeds, micro greens, scallions, and ikura for extra texture and flavor, and make with just 10 minutes of prep.
Salmon crudo is the perfect appetizer for warm summer weather and entertaining. Not only is it easy to make, it's also packed with rich and exciting flavors. Enjoy it with Japanese rice and wasabi for an extra kick!
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About Salmon Carpaccio
- Taste - The rich salmon, briny ikura, aromatic scallions, and miso shoyu create a rich flavor combination.
- Texture - The salmon and dressing are smooth and buttery while the scallion and ikura adds crunch and firmness.
- Effort - All you need to do is mix the sauce and precisely cut the fish.
- Time - It takes only 15 minutes to make the sauce and assemble the ingredients.
What is Crudo?
Crudo is an Italian cooking term which literally translates to "raw". In cooking, a dish is crudo when it contains raw meat that is dressed with vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil, citrus, or other seasonings to enhance the flavor of the meat. Crudo typically refers to fish but can also describe shellfish or beef. In our salmon crudo recipe, we dress the salmon with an umami flavored miso shoyu mixture.
Ingredients
- Sushi Grade Salmon - Fresh, sushi grade or sashimi grade salmon sashimi is key to a tasty, safe carpaccio.
- Soy Sauce - Soy sauce, or shoyu in Japanese, is an essential condiment in Japanese cooking.
- Mirin - Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine that adds umami flavor and is the base of many Japanese sauces and marinades.
- Miso - Miso adds a unique and savory flavor to the dish.
- Lemon zest - Lemon zest brightens up the dish.
- Sesame seeds - We sprinkle black sesame seeds on the crudo to add a mild nutty flavor.
- Microgreens - Microgreens add a little bite and spice to the dish.
- Scallion - Scallion adds an aromatic flavor and a light crunch.
- Ikura - Ikura (salmon roe) adds a salty and briny ocean flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Make shoyu mixture - First, combine soy sauce, mirin, miso, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir to combine. Then let sit while you prepare the salmon.
- Slice fish - Second, slice salmon in a 45 degree angle and arrange in a shallow dish. Then drizzle with miso soy sauce marinade and lift the pieces so the sauce gets on both sides of the fish. Let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Plate - Third, transfer salmon onto plate, shaking off excess marinade in the shallow dish. Then spoon extra marinade onto the salmon if desired. After that, top with sesame seeds, micro greens, scallions and Ikura. Serve with wasabi if desired.
Hint: If you want to make this dish more carpaccio style, cut the slices thinner, about one quarter of an inch.
How to Eat Crudo
Crudo is an appetizer or side and is typically served on a plate or in a large bowl. Each piece of fish is meant to be eaten in one bite with dressing and a little of each ingredient. You can also enjoy salmon crudo with a side of rice or on top of rice. If you enjoy it on top of rice, be sure to let the rice cool before adding the salmon so the salmon doesn't cook and maintains its buttery texture. Salmon carpaccio also pairs deliciously with these main courses:
Substitutions
- Cold smoked salmon - Make smoked wild salmon carpaccio if you want a slightly smokier and saltier salmon.
- Hamachi crudo - Replace salmon with sashimi grade hamachi (yellowtail) to make hamachi crudo.
- Yuzu ponzu sauce - Replace the soy sesame dressing with yuzu ponzu sauce for a brighter and and tangier sauce.
- Spicy - Top the salmon with sliced jalapenos, serrano chillies, or habanero chillies for a spicy kick.
- Vegan - In order to make this dish vegan, replace the salmon with tofu and the ikura with more microgreens.
- Tobiko or masago (Japanese Flying Fish Roe) - Use tobiko instead of ikura if you want to add a slightly sweeter version of ikura.
- Green onion - Replace scallion with green onion for a slightly more pungent aromatic flavor.
Variations
- Sesame oil - Sesame oil will add a toasty flavor and nutty aroma to the sauce.
- Sugar - Add sugar to the sauce for extra sweetness.
- Yuzu kosho - Add yuzu kosho on the side for a zesty and tart condiment.
- Garlic - Mince a garlic clove to add the classic aroma.
Recipe FAQs
The ingredients are usually available at Japanese markets, like Mitsuwa or Nijiya, or some common chain grocery stores. Sushi grade salmon is also usually available in Japanese grocery stores, Whole Foods, or small specialty grocers. If they don't have it, you can also go to a local fish monger or seafood market. If you are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we highly recommend Four Star Seafood, a chef-curated grocery service.
Both crudo and sashimi are raw fish. But crudo is served with a sauce or dressing while sashimi is not. Sashimi focuses only on the quality of the fish itself and how it is prepared.
Carpaccio is a type of crudo where the fish is cut into thin slices and pounded razor thin. It also usually includes the vinaigrette, citrus, and/or olive oil dressing.
Yes, most of the ingredients are healthy and the dish is low in calories. If you want to make this dish even healthier, reduce the amount of shoyu sauce mixture or use reduced sodium shoyu.
While salmon crudo is raw, it is safe to eat. Just make sure that you don't leave the salmon unrefrigerated for an extended period of time. Also, don't eat this dish if you are pregnant due to the risk of harmful bacteria and parasites. See more FDA guidelines about eliminating parasites when eating raw fish.
You can use any sashimi grade or sushi grade salmon. Some of the best types of salmon are sockeye salmon, coho salmon and king salmon. Each of these are delicious and have their own slightly different taste. Just make sure that the salmon fillets are sushi grade because it means the salmon is flash frozen to kill parasites.
Crudo means the raw fish is simply dressed in citrus and other garnishes while in ceviche, the fish is marinated in citrus juice to make it appear cooked and change its texture. Ceviche juice has eight times the amount of acid as crudo and the fish sits in the marinade for several hours prior to serving.
The main difference is that the meat in carpaccio has been very thinly sliced while the meat in tartare has been pounded, minced, or chopped. Carpaccio is also typically only served with a slight marination while tartare is served with vegetables.
Equipment
This salmon carpaccio recipe requires a few kitchen essentials. To slice the salmon sashimi, you will need a knife and a cutting board. If you want to enjoy the salmon carpaccio with rice, you will need a pot or rice cooker to make the rice and a rice paddle to scoop the rice. For the shoyu mixture, you will need measuring spoons, a mixing bowl, and a spoon or chopsticks to mix it.
Storage
Enjoy Salmon Carpaccio immediately or within 1 day making. If you make the sauce ahead of time, be sure to store the fish and garnish/sauce in separate air-tight containers in the refrigerator so the fish stays fresh. These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tips
- Use a sharp knife to cut the salmon properly and ensure each individual piece comes out clean.
- In order to make cutting the fish easier, chill the fish in the fridge before you slice it. When the fish is colder, the fish is more solid and rigid so the knife will slice through it easier.
- When cutting the fish, remember to always cut it against the grain and remove sinew as you go. If you cut with the grain, you can damage the proteins in the fish.
- If you prepare crudo for entertaining, cut the fish ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator (make sure it is covered). You can also make the shoyu mixture ahead of time. When you are ready to serve it to your guests, all you need to do is dress it in the shoyu mixture.
Did You Like this Recipe?
If you loved this miso salmon crudo recipe, please rate and comment on the recipe below! If you want to make other delicious Japanese recipes, check these out:
- Spicy Tuna Rice Balls
- Spicy Kani Roll (Crab Sushi)
- Teriyaki Salmon Bowl (Donburi)
- Spicy Kani Salad
- Furikake Salmon Recipe
- Miso Caramel Popcorn
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📖 Recipe
Miso Salmon Crudo (Carpaccio)
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- ½ lb sushi grade salmon sliced ⅜-inch thick or less
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon miso
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 scallion finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon ikura
- microgreens
- sesame seeds
- wasabi
Instructions
- Make shoyu mixture - Combine soy sauce, mirin, miso, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir to combine. Let sit while you prepare the salmon.2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 teaspoon miso, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Slice fish - Slice salmon in a 45 degree angle and arrange in a shallow dish. Drizzle with miso soy sauce marinade and lift the pieces so the sauce gets on both sides of the fish. Let sit in the fridge for 30 min.½ lb sushi grade salmon
- Plate - Transfer salmon onto plate, shaking off excess marinade in the shallow dish. Spoon extra marinade onto the salmon if desired. Top with sesame seeds, micro greens, scallions and Ikura. Serve with wasabi if desired.1 scallion, 1 tablespoon ikura, microgreens, sesame seeds, wasabi
Notes
Storage
This fresh salmon dish is best enjoyed immediately or within 1 day of making. If you make the sauce ahead of time, be sure to store the fish and garnish/sauce in separate air-tight containers in the refrigerator so the fish stays fresh. These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tips
- Make sure you have a sharp knife to cut the salmon properly and ensure each individual piece comes out clean.
- When cutting the fish, remember to always cut it against the grain and remove sinew as you go. If you cut with the grain, you can damage the fragile proteins in the fish.
- Make the shoyu micture a day or more before to save time.Â
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