Ingredients:

  • 0.5 lb fresh salmon roe
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • 0.5 tsp liquid dashi
  • 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
  • 2.2 cups water
  • 0.25 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 sheets premium nori
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste

Instructions:

  1. Clean the salmon roe by gently rinsing in lukewarm salted water to separate eggs from the membrane, then drain thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and liquid dashi to create the marinade.
  3. Place the cleaned roe in a glass container, pour the marinade over it, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the osmotic cure to firm the membranes.
  4. Rinse the Japanese short-grain rice until the water runs clear, then cook with 2.2 cups of water in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot.
  5. While the rice is hot, fold in the rice vinegar, sugar, and sea salt using a plastic rice paddle and allow to cool to body temperature.
  6. Cut nori sheets into 1.5-inch wide strips. Form small, oval-shaped balls of sushi rice (approx. 20g each).
  7. Wrap a nori strip around each rice ball, leaving about a half-inch of space at the top. Secure the end with a grain of crushed rice.
  8. Top each rice battleship with a generous spoonful of the marinated salmon roe and garnish with wasabi or cucumber if desired.