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Sake no Iizushi (Fermented salmon sushi) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Aomori Prefecture

    Sake no Iizushi (Fermented salmon sushi)

Sake no Iizushi (Fermented salmon sushi)

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  • Main lore areas

    Tsugaru Region

  • Main ingredients used

    Salted salmon, bamboo shoot, glutinous rice

  • History/origin/related events

    In Tsugaru region, surrounded by snow during the winter, people harvest farm products and hunt fish as much as possible during the harvest season, and preserve food by drying or pickling them. Rice played many roles not only as a staple food, but also as a malted rice and bran. ‘Iizushi’ is one of the dished made as a preserved food by utilizing fermenting glutinous rice. ‘Iizushi’ with salmon is considered as a lucky food because of its vivid color, and it’s a very special delicacy as salmon was precious and costly and only few families can afford it.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    Originally, ‘Iizushi’ is a dish fermented without vinegar by mixture of malted rice and glutinous rice in the cool place to make lactic acid bacteria active. Bamboo leaves prevent the dish from going bad. However, vinegar is often used these days because global warming makes it difficult to ferment in the low temperature. ‘Nemagari’ bamboo shoot is also mixed with the ingredient when people make this dish in a bulk. It is considered auspicious because it contains ‘red and white’; salmon color associates with red, and ‘Nemagari’ bamboo shoot and rice is white. Shark or atka mackerel is sometimes replaced with salmon.

  • How to eat

    Place vinegared salmon, ‘Nemagari’ bamboo shoot, softly-cooked glutinous rice into a barrel alternatively in layers. Cover these layers with rice and bamboo leaves. Put the cover and stone weigh, and leave it for a couple of days. Sweetness from rice and lactic acid makes unique deep flavor. You can enjoy deeper flavor with traditional process with malted rice.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)
    The decreasing number of people make ‘Iizushi’ at home because it takes time and efforts, and the temperature doesn’t get lower in winter compare with the past. The groups organize events and cooking classes, serve local cuisine, or promote one in the social media to preserve traditional local dishes in danger of extinction.

RECIPE

Ingredients (Half of barrel)

  • Light-Salted salmon (middle size) Half body (You can use trout, too)
  • Bamboo shoot (bottled ‘Nemagari take’) 1bottle (900ml)
  • Glutinous rice 3 cups
  • 5-time diluted vinegar 7 cups
  • Carrot Approx.5cm (Julienne cut)
  • Ginger 1／2 pack (Julienne cut)
  • [Seasoning A] Chili pepper 2 (cut in round slices after removing seeds)
  • [Seasoning A] Mirin(=sweet rice wine) 3 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Sake 2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] 5-time diluted ‘Gobaisu’ diluted vinegar 3 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Salt 2 tsp.
  • Bamboo leaves As needed (Quickly boiled in hot water with two pinches of salt, then wrap them to freeze)
  • Stone weight 1 (6kg)
  • Sushi barrel or bottom-flat container Lay open the mouth of a plastic bag to make it easier to fill with salted salmon

How to cook

  • 1. Marinate slices salmon with skin (70~80g) with diluted ‘gobaisu’ (Vinegar: Water = 01時04分) for a half of day. (Salt will be removed by being marinated with vinegar.) Keep marinated salmon in a fridge in summer.

  • 2. Rinse bamboo shoots in the salty boiled water, then cool them in a fridge.

  • 3. Cook glutinous rice soft.

  • 4. Add Seasoning A, carrots and ginger to the rice while it’s hot. Let it cool.

  • 5. Put a plastic bag into the barrel, layer the ingredients by following order. Press the ingredients to prevent from any gaps in between.
    1. Place salmon facing its skin up without any gap in between.
    2. Place bamboo shoots putting the thin side center.
    3. Place carrots and ginger, then cover with the rice. (No need to make them flat)

  • 6. Place rice in the end, then cover with bamboo leaves.

  • 7. Seal the plastic bag, then place a stone weight. Keep refrigerated in summer.

  • 8. Ready to eat next day, but it’s the best to eat after a couple of days.

  • 9. Recommended to add a bit more vinegar and salt in summer.

provider : "Guidebook for the transmission of food culture" (Aomori Prefecture)

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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