Ishikari Nabe (石狩鍋, Hokkaido salmon and miso hot pot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Donabe (clay hot-pot vessel), or a wide heavy pot
• •Portable table burner, or a stovetop and heatproof trivet
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Akutori (small scum skimmer), or a shallow spoon
• •Small bowl and ladle for dissolving miso
• •Individual tori-zara serving plates and chirirenge spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. That pale bloom on the surface is flavor, not dirt. Put the konbu and cold water in a pot and bring it up slowly over low heat, about ten minutes. Pull the konbu out when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, before it reaches a boil. Boil the kelp and the stock turns bitter and a little slick, and that is a poor bargain.

   You're steeping the konbu, not cooking it hard. The rule is only the shortest way to say protect the clean taste.
2. 2

   Add katsuobushi

   Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, and turn off the heat. Let the flakes settle for two to three minutes without stirring. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cloth, and let it drip on its own. Don't squeeze. Squeezing presses harsh, oily flavors into the dashi, and this pot needs a clean foundation before the miso joins it.

3. 3

   Clean the salmon

   Sprinkle the salmon pieces, and the collar or bones if using, with the salt. Leave them for ten minutes, then pour boiling water over them just until the surface turns pale. Rinse quickly under cold water, rubbing away any blood, loose scales, or dark bits near the bone, then pat dry. This is shimofuri, a brief cleaning that keeps the broth from tasting muddy. Wash it twice, wash it thrice, if the blood is still there.

4. 4

   Cut the vegetables

   Soak the potato rounds in cold water for five minutes, then drain them. That rinses off the surface starch so the broth thickens gently instead of turning pasty. Keep the cabbage pieces broad, the onion in wedges, and the tofu in large blocks. A nabe is eaten from the pot, so pieces should be easy to lift and still have their shape.

5. 5

   Start the base

   Pour the dashi into a donabe or wide heavy pot. Add the sake, mirin, potatoes, carrot, onion, and the white parts of the naganegi. Bring to a quiet simmer and cook for ten to twelve minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender when pierced. The fish waits because salmon cooks quickly, while potatoes need time to give the broth their body.

6. 6

   Add cabbage and tofu

   Add the cabbage, shiitake, and tofu. Simmer gently for about five minutes, nudging the pieces into the broth instead of stirring hard. The cabbage should soften at the edges but keep some lift, and the tofu should warm through without breaking. Leave the pot some room. A crowded nabe cooks unevenly and looks tired before it reaches the table.

7. 7

   Loosen the miso

   Lower the heat so the broth is no more than gently moving. Ladle a little hot broth into a bowl, dissolve the miso in it, and do the same with the sake kasu if you're using it. Stir this back into the pot. Miso dropped straight in makes lumps, and miso boiled hard loses its fragrance. Taste now, and add a teaspoon or two of soy sauce only if the broth needs a cleaner edge.

8. 8

   Cook the salmon

   Slide in the salmon pieces, skin side up where you can manage it, along with any collar or bone pieces. Keep the simmer soft and skim the surface if scum appears. Cook five to seven minutes, just until the salmon turns opaque and flakes when pressed. A hard boil breaks the fish and clouds the broth, which is exactly what the earlier cleaning was meant to prevent.

9. 9

   Serve the pot

   Scatter the green parts of the naganegi over the top and set the donabe in the center of the table on a heatproof trivet. Give each person a tori-zara, a small serving plate, and a chirirenge spoon for broth. Finish each bowl with a light dusting of sanshō if you like its peppery lift. Eat the salmon while it is tender, then go back for the cabbage, potatoes, tofu, and the broth they have made together.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for skin-on salmon and, if possible, a collar or a few bone pieces. The bones give body to the broth, and the skin protects the flesh. If the fish smells strong, change the dish. Nothing hidden.
• •Use a donabe if you have one. Clay holds a gentle, steady warmth and makes the pot the center of the table. A wide heavy pot works perfectly well, then carry it to the table on a trivet.
• •Don't reach for instant dashi here. The miso will not cover its flatness, and Ishikari Nabe is built from the quiet depth beneath the miso as much as from the miso itself.
• •Sake kasu is a fine addition in some Hokkaido households, but use it lightly. It should round the broth, not make the pot taste like a brewery has fallen into it.
• •The leftover broth is precious. If there is enough after the meal, add rinsed cooked short-grain rice and warm it gently for a simple closing bowl. That ending is called shime, the finish.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it gently before building the pot.
• •The salmon can be salted, cleaned with boiling water, rinsed, and chilled up to four hours ahead. Pat it dry before adding it to the pot.
• •The vegetables can be cut earlier the same day. Keep the potatoes in cold water for up to two hours, then drain well before cooking.
• •Do not finish the pot far ahead. Add the miso and salmon close to serving, because reheated salmon dries and boiled miso loses its fragrance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 680g)