Not a traditional Edomae sushi fish — salmon counts as a freshwater fish. Wild / river salmon carries parasites, so it is not served raw. Ocean-farmed salmon (Norwegian, Atlantic, King) is what is used for sushi.video 4-1
Shinshu salmon is a trout: hold it by the eyes, it has sharp teeth. Very slimy — wipe it well.
Scaling & gutting
Suki-biki (shaving the scales off with the knife): cloth under the fish, hold the head and lift the fish slightly. Knife flat against the skin under the scales, tail to head, light grip, slide and slide. Remove the thicker scale line along the back with the yanagiba. Same technique works for hirame (flounder) and buri (adult yellowtail).video 4-1
Alternative: sprinkle salt over the scales, then scaler tail to head. Knife is preferred: scales stay in one pile, and no pressure on the flesh — the fish keeps longer.video 4-1
Place the fish with the right-hand-side meat down on the board. That side is the shitami (underside); the side facing up is the uwami (upper side).video 4-2
Cut behind the gills on both sides, detach the gills from the collar. At the spine, stand the knife up, rest the blade on the spine and drop it to cut through. Pull the head off.video 4-2
Collar: cut straight down just behind the pectoral fin, not angled like other fish — the mid-body goes to sushi blocks. Collar goes to grilling / staff meal.video 4-2
Filleting
Shitami, belly side first (right-handers). The belly fin is the guideline; shallow entry cut just above it, then tip of the knife, shinogi (bevel) riding on the bones, slide in several passes until the tip reaches the spine.video 4-3
Flip the fish (or rotate the board). Back side: entry cut above the dorsal fins, find the bones with the tip from the tail end, follow them in to the spine. No pin bones toward the tail: slide the knife through there, lift the fillet lightly, run the shinogi along the spine and take the fillet off. You may detach the tail.video 4-3
Alternative: shitami — remove the belly bones near the tail, then incline the knife and scrape along the spine from the head. Cut vertically across the tail, remove the fillet.
Uwami: do not flip the fish — the meat is too heavy for the bone. Trim the fin that sits with the spine, then insert the knife under the spine from the head and slide to the tail, pulling, minimal meat left on the bone. Salmon bone is soft; don't lift it, just slide underneath.video 4-3 Alternative: incline the knife from the head, ~1 cm, scrape little by little; turn and remove the fillet, scraping the spine.
Uwami still has small soft white bones and the fin muscle on the back: slide under them and pull toward you, upright the knife when the fin muscle shows, detach. Uwami now looks like the shitami.video 4-3
Clean-up: curve the knife under the bottom fin muscle and remove. Belly bones sit mid-fillet — slide the knife right under the bones (uwami: head to tail is easier; shitami: tail to head, because the head-end bones stand up). Two or three bones at a time is fine.video 4-4
Trim the thin belly-edge skin flat with the knife laid flat; otherwise the skin won't sit on the board for skinning.video 4-4
Pin bones: pull toward the head, one by one; check with a fingertip. Shitami has no leftover bones on the back side.video 4-4
Cutting into saku (blocks)
Split each fillet along the line where the spine was: back block and belly block. Cut down to the skin, upright the knife, run along the skin to separate. Small salmon: quarters are enough.video 4-5
Skinning, inner way (uchi): tail right, head left, arms crossed. Enter at the tail, cut down to the skin, lay the shinogi on the skin, knife slightly angled (not perpendicular), hold the skin flat and slide the knife toward you in short zips. Typical sushi-chef method (small boards).video 4-5
Skinning, outer way (soto): tail left, head right. Knife vertical to enter at the tail, then knife flat against the skin, keep it still with a slight vibration and pull the skin. Needs a bigger board. Learn both.video 4-5
Leave the fat under the skin and a little silver skin on the flesh — shaving it off loses the best part.video 4-5
Big salmon, back: halve the block with skin on, leaving a skin tab at the head end to grip for skinning. Belly: measure in multiples of 8 cm from the head (e.g. 3 × 8 = 24 cm) and cut there — tezaku (hand-size) blocks for sushi; cut to the skin, slide along it to leave a tab, hold the tab and skin.video 4-5
Storage
School method: after blocking, salt the flesh lightly, about 10 min, to draw moisture and odour. Wash the salt off in a water bath, wipe with paper towels, lay in a container, cover with paper towel, lid on, refrigerate. No lid → dries out.video 8-1
General: refrigerate wrapped in paper towel + film, lidded. Freeze fast (to −30 °C), defrost slowly in the fridge; never refreeze.video 8-1
Cutting for sashimi — hira-zukuri
Yanagiba (or kiritsuke). Saku skin side up, head end to the right, taller (back) edge away. Grip: middle finger on the corner, three fingers on the handle, index on top, thumb on the ago (heel).video 7-3
Start from the heel, cut in one stroke with the whole blade, never several strokes. Knife tilted slightly left (inward), against the grain. Thickness about 7 mm.video 7-3
Without lifting the knife, slide the slice to the right and lean it against the previous one, offset about 2 mm. Lay it flat against the board so the angle looks clean. Thickness stays constant.video 7-3
Score the skin side to beautify and reduce chewiness.
Serving
Odd numbers — 3, 5 or 7 pieces — in a mounded shape. Shiso leaf behind, three slices leaned together, a rolled twist of daikon tsuma in front, two smaller pieces on their sides, wasabi mound bottom right. Wash shiso, benitade and tsuma first.video 7-3
Saikyo-zuke (miso cure): 80–100 g pieces (60 g in kaiseki), salt 10 min, rinse, marinate 3 days. Ratio → saikyo.
Nanban-zuke: skin on, bite-size pieces, brush katakuriko on the flesh side, deep-fry; vegetables first from ~160 °C, salmon at 170–180 °C. Pour the boiling marinade over, paper on top, cool to room temperature. Dish → nanban, ratio → nanban.video 9-1