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 is 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 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 in 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. More discussed in the recipe card below.
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 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 sprinkle 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!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
