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I don’t know if you guys know this, but crudos are the sixth food group! I served this Japanese-inspired Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo recipe at Bryan’s birthday as one of the appetizers the other week, and it was a hit!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo
Think about how delicious Sesame Crusted Salmon is, and then raise your expectations! Instead of searing it, the salmon is lightly cured and then rolled in a nutty sesame coating, keeping that melt-in-your-mouth bite and adding that amazing crunch. The Spicy Orange Sauce and the Sesame Nori Mayo take this appetizer recipe to another level!
Prep Like a Pro
Have all your ingredients gathered to make this Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo recipe stress-free!
Gather
- Sushi-Grade Salmon: 8-10 oz
- Kosher Salt: 3 tbsp
- Cane Sugar: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp, divided
- Honey: ½ tsp
- Tamari: ½ tsp
- Black Sesame Seeds: 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp, divided
- Toasted Sesame Seeds: : 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp, divided
- Toasted Nori Squares: 3 small
- Msg: ½ tsp
- Japanese Mayo: ⅓ cup
- Sesame Oil: 1 tsp
- Miso: 1 ½ tsp
- Salsa Macha: 1 tbsp
- Rice Vinegar: 2 tbsp
- Soy Sauce: 3 tbsp
- Agave Syrup: ½ tsp
Chop
- Chives: chopped, to taste, for topping
- Serrano: 1 sliced, for topping
- Fresno Pepper: 1 sliced, for topping
- Orange: 1, zest and juice
🫶 And that is it, subscribe for more!
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
ALWAYS get sushi-grade salmon – If you can’t find it near you, you can always find it at places like Catalina Offshore Products, Yama Seafood or Riviera Seafood Club.
Variations
- Fish Swap → You can use sushi-grade tuna, yellowtail, or even scallops instead.
- Sesame Seeds → Swap out for some toasted nuts if you’d like.
- Serranos and Fresno→ You can use jalapeños if you can’t find serranos to top this salmon crudo. If you don’t want the spice, just use Fresno, make sure to remove all the seeds, or you can even omit the peppers completely.
- Japanese Mayo → Feel free to use regular mayonnaise as opposed to Kewpie mayo. If you want to try making your own Japanese mayo (Kewpie mayo) for these long fries, try adding a splash of rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar to regular mayo.
The Perfect Pairings
This Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo is the perfect appetizer to eat along with a fresh Cucumbertini. As your main, another Japanese-inspired recipe, Crispy Chicken Thighs in a Sake Butter Sauce with an Arugula Fennel Salad 🥗 Lastly, a light Passion Fruit Panna Cotta is just what you need!
Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo: Questions Answered
Locally, I get it at AJ’s. I also order it online sometimes at places like Catalina Offshore Products, Yama Seafood or Riviera Seafood Club.
You can prep a lot ahead. For example, the sesame mixture, honey and tamari, spicy orange sauce, and sesame nori mayo can be made and ready to go, just store them in the fridge. Wait to actually make it till right beforehand.
The heat level is moderate but mainly because of the peppers on top. You can skip those if it’s too much or remove the seeds.
Spicy Orange Salmon Crudo
Equipment
- baking sheet
- wire rack
- plate
- 2 small bowls
- Basting Brush
- morter and pestle
- strainer
- servings plate
Ingredients
Crudo
- 8-10 oz sushi grade salmon
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- ½ tsp honey
- ½ tsp tamari
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Chives, chopped, to taste, for topping
- 1 Serrano, sliced, to taste, for topping
- 1 Fresno Pepper, sliced, to taste, for topping
Sesame Nori Mayo
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 3 small toasted nori squares
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- ½ tsp msg
- ⅓ cup Japanese mayo
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 ½ tsp miso
Spicy Orange Sauce
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp salsa macha, or chili crisp
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp agave syrup
Instructions
- Mix your salt and sugar. Place your salmon on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath and sprinkle the salt/sugar mixture all over both sides of your salmon. Place the salmon on the cooling rack and put in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to cure.
- In a small bowl, mix ½ tsp honey and ½ tsp tamari.
- On a plate, mix both the black and toasted sesame seeds.
- When the salmon is done curing, rinse and dry well. Brush the honey/tamari mixture on both sides of the salmon and coat well in the sesame seeds. Set aside to let rest while you make your sauces.
- When you're done making the sauces, slice the salmon into about ½-inch pieces.
- On your serving plate, with a mesh strainer, strain the Spicy Orange Sauce and arrange the sliced salmon neatly on top of that. Place a dollop of Sesame Nori Mayo on each salmon slice and alternate between the Serrano and Fresno slices, placing them on the mayo dollops. Sprinkle with chives and that is it!
- Sesame Nori Mayo: In a mortar and pestle add the sesame seeds, nori, msg and sugar. Pestle it until a course paste. Mix in a bowl with mayo, sesame oil and miso.
- Spicy Orange Sauce: In a bowl, mix together the orange zest and juice, salsa macha, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and agave syrup (you will be straining this later).
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
