Smoked Salmon Okonomiyaki

Smoked Salmon Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake with smoked salmon, drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise and okonomi or 'brown' sauce.

I've been in recipe development for many years now and my list of things I want to make and publish is never ending. Japanese Okonomiyaki is one of those items on that very long list of things to make. 

What is Okonomiyaki

Teriyaki, ramen, and sushi are probably the most well known Japanese dishes here in the US. Okonomiyaki is often called a Japanese pancake, crepe, or even omelet. 

When translated, Okonomiyaki is a compound word-phrase of okonomi which means how you like it and yaki meaning grilled. 

With a name of how you like it, that pretty much means anything goes as far as ingredients are concerned. Despite having a sweeter breakfast sounding name when called pancakes or crepes, these are savory. 

Okonomiyaki batter consists of flour and eggs, and more often than not, cabbage. After that, one is only limited by their imagination for both batter mix-ins and toppings.

Japanese mayonnaise, which is a sweeter version than ours, and okonomi sauce, a hybrid sauce that is similar to Worcestershire sauce, but thicker and with a few other flavor notes are often drizzled on top the cooked okonomiyaki. Seaweed flakes are also another common and popular topping.  

Smoked Salmon Okonomiyaki

Since okonomiyaki is an 'anything goes' dish, we went with our delicious smoked salmon. Seafood, particular salmon, is a staple of Japanese cuisine, so adding the rich smokey flavor of smoked salmon seemed quite perfect. 

Smoked Salmon Okonomiyaki actually is quite perfect. After the batter was made and I assembled the first one for taste tasting, I couldn't have been more excited and eager to devour a dish. 

Ingredients:

• 18 oz. shredded green cabbage (or about half a head, core removed)
• 2 medium carrots; grated
• 5 green onions; finely chopped (3 for batter, 2 for garnish)
• 8 oz. smoked salmon (about two of our packages)
• 4 medium eggs; well beaten
• ¼ cup COLD water
• ½ cup AP flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 2-4 tbsp. canola, vegetable, or sesame oil

Directions:

• Remove the core from the cabbage, and then slice it into thin ribbons (like for coleslaw); add to a large bowl
• Grate the carrots, adding to the cabbage.
• Finely chop the green onions and add to the vegetable bowl.
• Toss 4 ounces of smoked salmon with the veggies.
• Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.
• Whisk in the cold water, flour, salt, and pepper until is well combined and not clumpy.
• Pour mixture over the vegetables and stir together until it's well combined. It will be soggy.
• Heat a large skillet (10”-12”) over a medium flame.
• Once warm, add 1 tbsp. of the oil.
• Form ‘pancakes’ using between ½ and ¾ cup of cabbage batter, form into 4-6” pancakes and place in hot oiled skillet.
• Cover the skillet, allowing steam to build, softening and cooking the cabbage.
• Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom (about 5 minutes), flip and continue cooking uncovered until golden brown on the second side (about 3-5 minutes). **Use two spatulas if necessary while flipping.
• Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm until ready to eat.
• Add more oil to the skillet as needed as you cook the pancakes.
• When ready to serve, add a generous dollop of smoked salmon, Japanese mayo and brown sauce. Garnish with green onions.
• Serve and enjoy.