[Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipe: Salmon Fillet from Imouto Sae Ireba Ii

8:00 AM December 11, 2017

Hey everyone, it’s time on this Monday morning for another edition of Anime Recipes! In case you are saying “The huh with the what?”, this is a series from Honey’s Anime where we break down food after food that anime shows us every week. With our mouths drooling and our stomach’s growling, we gleefully write these up. Every single season, spring, summer, fall, and winter, has more than 60 shows airing, so it is relatively easy to find a delicious dish that we cannot wait to chow down on! Today, we explore a western influence on a Japanese classic.

Salmon Fillet Steaks from Imouto Sae Ireba Ii (A Sister’s All You Need)

Imouto Sae Ireba Ii (A Sister’s All You Need) has to be the only decent ecchi harem comedy anime that we are going to get this season. It tells the story of Izumi who is an author! You see though, he can only write when there are little sisters involved in the story. Surrounded by a well-to-do university student, a racy and saucy fan of his as well as a fellow author, another fellow author who unlike Izumi, is able to meet his deadline and all of his deadlines without issue, a little brother who is like a little sister, and more, they play out plenty of gags and hilarious scenes. With all of the foodporn everywhere, it is just a matter of time before we broke it down and today, we are going to look at the Salmon fillet steaks from the fantasy shot from Episode three.

Salmon fillet steaks are nothing too major as if you think about it, in the west, we eat meat, so the concept of a steak is not that far out. However, in Japan, it makes perfect sense that they would take our concept of something, and sub it out with something else. Therefore, we arrive at salmon fillet steaks. It’s not news that fish, in general, is good for you, and it makes sense that some people around the world love it. Japan is definitely one of those places and salmon, along with a few other types of fish, in particular, is celebrated heavily. For this week, that is what we will explore. So sit down, get that lemon juice ready, and let’s go!

What You Will Need:

salmon fillets. (Skin on is ideal for max nutritional benefits)

1-4

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Lemon juice

Aluminum foil

Optional Notes:

Most likely, and we say this with 99% assurance, the fillets shown in the anime are only going to look like that if you have Hokkaido salmon or salmon from a very prolific area. Those slices are massive, so do not feel the pressure to be dropping top dollar on expensive fillets. This goes doubly if you have never cooked fish before. The best part, too, is that this recipe works whether the fish is fresh or frozen. This dish is best paired with a salad and rice. A popular add-on is tartar sauce once it is done.

1
To start with, take your salmon fillets out. We recommend fresh or defrosted ones.
2
Pet them down with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
3
Sprinkle the fillets or fillet with salt and pepper to season. Feel free to use as much or as little as you need.
4
This is where the recipe splits. We will talk about one option in full and then the alternative. If you would like to try the alternative method, then skip to step 10.
5
Next, take some aluminum foil and form it into a bowl or tray.
6
Pour in olive oil to coat the bottom. The skin can burn easily and stick to the foil like you would not believe.
7
Place the fillets inside the foil bowl or tray, and then squeeze some lemon juice, or pour it if it is not fresh, over the fillets and close the aluminum foil.
8
On medium heat, cool the fillets for 6 minutes. You can adjust if your grill is stronger or weaker, but don’t overdo it or the fish will become rubbery.
9
After that, remove from the heat, let the residual heat disperse, and dig in!
10
If you are cooking them as is directly on the grill, skip the oil and lemon juice and place them directly on the grill at medium heat.
11
They only need 6 minutes to be done! However, if you have not used fresh or thawed fish, and are going with frozen fish, be sure to cook for about 9 minutes turning once or twice.
12
Add lemon juice if you want to the done fillets and dig in!

(Note: We warned out about overcooking, but this should almost go without saying; Be absolutely sure that your fish is cooked all of the way through and not raw or cold in any spots. )

Yum!

Final Thought

Imouto Sae Ireba Ii may be flowing with the blue humor nonstop this season, but in a strange, twisted way, we here at Honey’s Anime are really enjoying it. The characters are all over the place and a good part of the jokes land. Not all, but hey, miracles only happen once in awhile. How do you feel about this installment? Are you a fish fan? Do you eat it regularly? If so, let us know! Also, be sure to let us know in the comments below and if you are interested in seeing a dish from an anime series broken down. For now, we will be glued to our screens with the racy scenes and delicious food from Imouto Sae Ireba Ii. Until next time!

Editor/Translator

Author: Nagareboshi

American by birth; international by choice. I am trying to bring attention to one of my favorite causes; me. I translate by day and write by night. Aspiring polyglot. My dream would be to be the personal translator for Amuro Namie. Other than that, my hobbies include languages, weightlifting, sleeping, karaoke, GOOD coffee and music. When I’m not doing any of the above, I am most likely laughing hysterically at Willam Belli videos or EV farming. I ain’t gunna Rupologize for it neither. Waifu are Shirai Kuroko & Euaerin.

Top 5 Anime by Nagareboshi