Japanese Coastal Salmon Wraps with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

About This Recipe

This wrap draws on the coastal grilling traditions of Japan, where fresh fish is often simply seasoned with salt and grilled over high heat, then eaten alongside rice, pickles, or wrapped in something portable. Here, flaked grilled salmon is rolled with crunchy vegetables and a herbed yogurt sauce built around shiso, a Japanese herb with a flavor somewhere between mint, basil and citrus. Yogurt is not traditional in Japanese cooking, but it stands in for the cooling, slightly tangy role that things like sunomono (vinegared cucumber) or a light miso dressing often play, and it makes the sauce easy to prep ahead. The wraps come together fast once the salmon is grilled and flaked, and the whole thing eats more like a hand-roll than a sandwich. This is a practical lunch for using leftover grilled fish, and it travels well if you wrap it tightly and keep the sauce on the side until you're ready to eat.

Ingredients

Serves 3

• 400 gsalmon fillet(skin removed)
• 1 tspneutral oil
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 cupplain yogurt
• 4shiso leaves(finely chopped, or substitute mint and basil)
• 1 tspsoy sauce
• 1 tsprice vinegar
• 1Persian cucumber(julienned)
• 1carrot(julienned)
• 2 cupsshredded cabbage
• 4large flour tortillas or soba-flour wraps
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Grill the salmon

   Season salmon with salt and grill or pan-sear in oil over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side, until just cooked through and flaky.

2. 2

   Flake the fish

   Let the salmon rest 5 minutes, then flake into large pieces with a fork, discarding any bones.

3. 3

   Make the sauce

   Stir together yogurt, chopped shiso, soy sauce and rice vinegar until smooth and pale green-flecked.

4. 4

   Prep the vegetables

   Julienne the cucumber and carrot, and shred the cabbage. Pat dry with a towel to remove excess moisture so the wrap doesn't get soggy.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Lay a tortilla flat, spread a generous layer of herbed yogurt sauce down the center, then top with cabbage, cucumber, carrot and flaked salmon.

6. 6

   Roll and serve

   Fold in the sides and roll tightly like a burrito. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the filling before the final roll, then slice in half to serve.

Variations

• •

  Use grilled chicken thigh instead of salmon for a non-seafood version.

• •

  Swap the yogurt sauce for a sesame-miso dressing for a more traditionally Japanese flavor.

• •

  Serve open-faced over rice instead of wrapped, closer to a donburi bowl.

Storage

Best assembled fresh. If prepping ahead, store the flaked salmon, sauce and vegetables separately in the fridge for up to 2 days and assemble just before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions