Photo Credit: Ransom Ashley (@ransomashley)
Delight dinner guests with an elevated arrangement of Japanese bento specialities using a variety of seasonal produce. Pulling together these six recipes requires earnest effort, but the majority of the work can be done in advance which will free you up to be present with your friends when they arrive!
Servings per Person
4oz Crispy Skin Salmon
2/3 cup Japanese Rice
1/2 cup Grilled Kale
1/2 cup Carrot Parsnip Kinpira
1/2 cup Persimmon Shira-ae
1 cup Miso Soup with Mushrooms
Dietary Notes: This menu is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. To offer a vegan option, simply replace the salmon with a fresh half of avocado. Fan the avocado after slicing and sprinkle with nori furikake for a stunning presentation.
Instructions
Prepare the sub recipes. Plate and serve!
Meal Planning Guide
The dressing for the shira-ae salad is better once it’s chilled so be sure to make it in advance.
Be sure to marinade the salmon at least for one hour (or overnight).
The grilled kale and carrot parsnip kinpira are warm salads that can be prepared up to a couple hours in advance and served at room temperature.
You can make the rice a couple hours ahead of time and keep in the rice cooker on ‘keep warm’ or in a heavy-lidded donabe until ready to serve.
You can prepare all of your mise en place for the miso soup ahead of time so that all you need to do when it’s time to plate is ladle the warm broth into each bowl.
You can slice the persimmons ahead of time but wait to toss them with the shira-ae dressing until it’s time to plate.
The salmon should be served soon after cooking, so it’s best to make this menu with a friend, so that one of you can take the lead on plating while the other one sears the Crispy Skin Salmon. As long as all the other components are plated, the salmon can go right on top of the rice and dinner will be ready!
