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Harako Meshi (はらこ飯) is a local salmon and rice dish from Miyagi Prefecture (Tohoku Region).
It consists of cooked salmon, and salmon roe served over rice.
“Harako” (はらこ) means fish eggs (i.e. roe); “meshi” (飯) simply means “rice” or “meal” in Japanese.
Read on for more interesting info about harako meshi:
Ingredients
![harako meshi salmon and roe](https://thechefdojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/harako-meshi-salmon-and-roe.jpeg)
The main ingredients of harako meshi are:
- Rice
- Salmon
- Salmon roe
Soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake are typical seasoning ingredients.
The rice is sometimes cooked in a salmon broth (instead of just plain water).
One important note is that the salmon fillets must be cooked. If raw salmon is used (i.e. salmon sashimi), then the dish would be referred to as “sake ikura don” (鮭いくら丼).
Location
![watari town miyagi](https://thechefdojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/watari-town-miyagi.jpg)
Harako meshi is a local dish of Miyagi Prefecture, which is famous for its wild salmon.
The dish is popular all across the region, and is commonly sold as an ekiben (i.e. lunchbox bought at the train station) at major train stations.
The original harako meshi is said to be from Watari Town, where it has been eaten since ancient times. See below for more about its interesting history:
History / Origin of Harako Meshi
![date masamune](https://thechefdojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/date-masamune.jpg)
Harako Meshi is originally from Watari Town, which was a major salmon fishing spot located at the mouth of the Abukuma River. The dish has been eaten since ancient times in Watari, and was originally created by local fishermen who ate it after celebrating a large catch.
One day, during the Edo period, the famous lord of the time called Date Masamune visited the town. He was presented with a dish of harako meshi by the locals, and absolutely loved it. After returning home, he continued to praise the dish to his friends/followers/colleagues, and its popularity grew from there.
Fun fact: Date Masamune was reportedly a “foodie”. He is also the founder of modern day city of Sendai.
Harako Meshi Recipe
Harako Meshi is not TOO difficult to make. If you’re outside of Japan, the hardest part would probably just be finding some salmon roe to use
If you can, I would also suggest buying salmon roe that is already prepared/seasoned/marinated (i.e. いくらの醤油漬け). This will save you a lot of time.
If you are in Japan, you can buy prepared salmon roe at the supermarket or online.
Here’s a simple recipe to follow below from Kurashiru:
Harako Meshi (はらこ飯): Salmon & Roe Rice Bowl
Course: MainCuisine: JapaneseDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesSimple harako meshi (はらこ飯) recipe from kurashiru.com
Equipment & Ingredients
- Equipment
Pot
Chopsticks
Bowl
- Main Ingredients
Rice … 2 cups
Salmon fillet … 2 slices
Salmon roe … 100g
Salt … a couple pinchesJapanese parsley (seri せり) … for garnish
- Seasoning
Water … 100ml
Cooking sake … 100ml
Soy sauce … 80ml
Sugar … 50g
Directions
- Prepare the salmon: remove bones, cut into 5cm pieces, and sprinkle with some salt
- Pour all the *seasoning* ingredients into a pot, and bring to boil over medium heat
- Reduce the heat to low, add the salmon and simmer for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat
- Once it has cooled down, remove the salmon and keep about 150ml of remaining broth.
- Wash and drain the rice, and put it in the rice cooker. Pour in the 150ml of broth you saved, and add water until the liquid reaches the “2-cup” mark on the rice cooker. Layer the cooked salmon pieces on top and start the rice cooker.
- When the rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and top it with salmon roe and Japanese parsley or other garnish.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Adjust seasoning to your tastes
Fun Facts about Harako Meshi
![harako meshi watari miyagi](https://thechefdojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/harako-meshi-watari-miyagi-1024x687.jpg)
- October 8th is officially “Harako-meshi Day”1https://burawatari.jp/ja/event/detail/4. October 8th was chosen because it is the start of salmon fishing season.
- Harako-meshi is sometimes thought of as the salmon version of oyako-don (chicken & egg rice bowl)
Summary
Have you ever tried harako-meshi before? What did you think of it?
Leave your thoughts and comments below!