Furikake, you say? What’s that? Sounds weird.
Well, furikake is a Japanese seasoning blend usually used on steamed white rice to give it some flavor. However, it is basically dried and concentrated umami, which makes any savory dish taste that much better.
Furikake is a Japanese seasoning typically made with toasted sesame seeds, nori seaweed, salt and sometimes sugar. It varies from region to region can also include anything from bonito fish flakes, to dried egg yolk, to chili flakes to miso powder to shiitake powder, to dried shrimp and anchovies to poppy seeds. Some versions even include dried shiso leaves (another thing to do with your shiso leaves next summer).
At its most basic, furikake is a blend of nori seaweed, sesame seeds, and bonito fish flakes. It’s crushed into a blend much like you’d see an American “Italian Seasoning” or an Herbes de Provence.
As you can see in the photo, I have two varieties. Katsuo, which is a tuna flake, and Ebi, which is shrimp.
BUT—be prepared. That much Nori will make your dish sort of taste of the ocean.
So how is it used? Basically in any savory dish you can think of. I first give you a Chef John recipe where he makes the most basic furikake from scratch based on a Roy Choi dish.
Furikake is THE basic umami bomb. It’s good with ANYTHING savory. How do I know? Glutamates. Lots of glutamates. Experiment with all sorts of dishes. Some earthier flavors like Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Indian, might clash with some types of furikake. But you don’t know unless you try. Plus there are different versions for different flavors.
So that’s a brief overview of fukake. You can make it yourself, or order the flavors you choose.
Tonight’s dinner? Well when this is published, I will be on a plane traveling home. HOWEVER, last week I made a couscous with butter, onion, mushroom, salt, white pepper, and the katsuo furikake. That was the side. The main was some lamb chops. The shoulder ones where you can suck out the marrow from the round bone. I expect it will be delicious.
