ikura don with soy-cured egg!

early access recipe!!

hi hi happy friday!

as a consolation for totally dropping the ball on providing you guys any Super Bowl or valentines day recipes, I’m giving you this fun recipe early!

this ikura don will eventually be on legallyhealthyblonde.com, but it takes quite some time to edit videos and photos and put it all into a blog post that is optimized for SEO.

enjoy!

ikura don recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sushi rice

• water**

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons mirin

• 4 large egg yolks (or 1 yolk each for however many servings you’re making!)

• 1/4 lb. of ikura (salmon roe)

• Green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)

• 1 sheet nori (optional), cut into thin strips for garnish

** the amount of water needed will depend on the instructions for your sushi rice. Check the back of the bag for details. Additional water for rinsing rice.

Instructions:

1. Soy Cured Egg Yolk:

   • In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce and mirin.

   • Carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites, ensuring no trace of egg white remains on the yolks.

   • Place the egg yolks in a shallow dish and pour the soy sauce mixture over them, ensuring they are fully submerged. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results.

   • Optional: At this time, you may want to add about 1 teaspoon of soy sauce to your ikura and allow it to soak in. If you bought it labeled “ikura” you can skip this step, but I would do it for just regular “salmon roe.”

2. Prepare the Sushi Rice:

   • Rinse the sushi rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Combine the rice and water in a rice cooker or pot and cook according to the package instructions.

   • In a small saucepan, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt over low heat until the sugar and salt dissolve. Once dissolved, remove from heat.

   • Optional: Mix in a few dashes of MSG for extra flavor. (No, MSG isn’t bad for you)

   • Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl and gently fold in the vinegar mixture until well combined. Let the rice cool to room temperature.

3. Assembly:

   • Divide the sushi rice among serving bowls.

   • Spoon a generous amount of ikura (salmon roe) over the rice, leaving a small space in the center for the egg yolk to sit.

   • Remove the soy-cured egg yolks from the marinade and gently pat them dry with paper towels. Place one cured egg yolk on top of each bowl of rice.

   • Garnish with sliced green onions and nori strips, if using.