Kaisen Don

Kaisen Don — literally 'seafood rice bowl' — is a celebration of Japan's fishing culture, served in coastal towns from Hokkaido's Hakodate Morning Market to the Tsukiji outer market in Tokyo. Chefs compose a mosaic of the day's freshest sashimi-grade fish and shellfish over vinegared rice, making this dish both a showcase of seasonal abundance and an act of supreme simplicity.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

• 400g (2 cups) Japanese short-grain rice
• 60ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp (25g) sugar
• 1 tsp (6g) salt

Toppings (choose 4-6)

• 150g (5 oz) sashimi-grade salmon, sliced
• 150g (5 oz) sashimi-grade tuna (maguro), sliced
• 100g (3.5 oz) sashimi-grade yellowtail (hamachi), sliced
• 100g (3.5 oz) cooked king crab legs or snow crab
• 80g (3 oz) ikura (salmon roe)
• 60g (2 oz) uni (sea urchin roe), if available
• 8 large cooked prawns, peeled

Garnish

• 2 tsp (10ml) soy sauce, for dipping
• Wasabi, freshly grated or paste
• 4 shiso (perilla) leaves
• ½ sheet toasted nori, cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp pickled ginger (gari)

Instructions

1. Cook rice using the absorption method: rinse until water runs clear, combine with 480ml (2 cups) cold water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 12 minutes. Rest off heat, covered, 10 minutes.
2. Dissolve sugar and salt in warmed rice vinegar. Transfer hot rice to a wide bowl and fold in seasoning with a spatula using cutting motions — do not stir. Fan to cool to just above body temperature (about 5-8 minutes).
3. Slice all fish against the grain at an angle into 5-7mm (¼ inch) pieces. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
4. Divide warm sushi rice among four deep bowls. Lay a shiso leaf on each rice bed.
5. Arrange fish and shellfish artfully over rice, grouping each variety together to create distinct sections of colour. Place ikura in a small mound, and uni (if using) on a shiso leaf.
6. Add nori strips, pickled ginger, and a small mound of wasabi to each bowl.
7. Serve immediately with a small dish of soy sauce for dipping.

Cook's Notes: Quality of fish is everything — purchase sashimi-grade seafood from a reputable fishmonger the day of serving. Keep all seafood chilled until the moment of plating. The rice should be slightly warm but not hot when topped, to preserve the delicate texture of the fish.