Seafood Rice Bowl (Kaisendon)
海鮮丼 KaisendonSay it: kai-SEN-don
Kaisendon is a Japanese rice bowl that turns the best of the market into a glossy, jewel-like one-bowl meal. It is built on warm, vinegar-seasoned sushi rice and topped with an assortment of raw sashimi-grade seafood—typically salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallops, shrimp and salmon roe. Eaten year-round for lunch or a special dinner, it tastes clean, rich and lightly briny, with rice vinegar cutting the fish’s fat. The appeal is simplicity: the seafood is sliced and arranged over rice, then served with soy sauce, wasabi and shiso.
Seafood Rice Bowl (Kaisendon)
海鮮丼, Kaisendon
Pronounced kai-SEN-don
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains fish, shellfish, soy, gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the sushi rice
For the toppings
Method
Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, swishing and draining until the water is almost clear. Drain well, then combine with the 2 cups cold water in a rice cooker and cook on the white rice setting; or in a heavy pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, then rest off heat 10 minutes.
While the rice cooks, stir the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl until dissolved. When the rice is done, transfer it to a wide shallow bowl or hangiri. Gradually pour the vinegar mixture over the hot rice, cutting and folding with a rice paddle while fanning, until the rice is glossy and just slightly sticky at room temperature.
Keep all seafood refrigerated until ready. Slice the salmon, tuna and yellowtail across the grain into neat pieces about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Slice the scallops horizontally into thin rounds or tear them into small pieces. If using regular raw shrimp, shell and devein them, then blanch in boiling water until just pink and opaque, about 30–45 seconds, and shock in ice water; if using ama ebi/sweet shrimp, keep them raw and leave tails on.
Divide the seasoned rice among four wide bowls, spreading gently but not packing. Arrange the seafood in sections over the rice: salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallops, shrimp and a small pile of salmon roe. Add the cucumber, shiso and nori strips, plus a dab of wasabi and a few pieces of pickled ginger.
Serve immediately with the soy sauce. To eat, drizzle a little soy sauce over the fish or dip each piece, mixing wasabi into the soy if desired.
Regional variant: Chopped Seafood Rice Bowl (Bara Chirashi)
Chop the salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallops and shrimp into small cubes, then toss with a little soy sauce and sesame oil. Fold the seafood, cucumber, shiso and thin strips of tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) into the seasoned sushi rice, and finish with salmon roe and nori. Serve in bowls without the formal fan arrangement.
Cook's notes
- Buy only labeled sashimi-grade or sushi-grade seafood from a fishmonger you trust, and keep it on ice until assembly.
- Chill the bowls in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving to keep the seafood cold against the warm rice.
- Use a very sharp knife and wipe it between slices so the fish stays clean and shiny.
Serve with
Miso soup, lightly pickled ginger and hot green tea.
Make ahead and storage
Cook and season the rice up to 2 hours ahead and keep covered at room temperature; assemble just before serving. Raw seafood should not sit at room temperature for more than 30 minutes.
