Murakami City has a long history with salmon, so much so that it is said that the city has more than 100 different ways to cook and prepare the fish. Among these methods is salted salmon, the ultimate natural food that is created simply from autumn salmon and salt. Salt is massaged thoroughly and evenly all over the fish and it is then matured through exposure to the low temperature and high humidity of the winter season, creating a delicious dish with super-concentrated umami flavours.

So where can you take up the challenge of salting your own salmon? The answer is at the “Echigo-Murakami Sannomaruryu Sake-shiobiki Dojo,” at Iyoboya Kaikan. Every year, from the end of November to mid-December salmon salting events are held, which are extremely popular. Every year the master salters patiently and carefully show people how to salt a salmon.

The actual salting experience takes two hours and afterwards you can take home the salmon that you have salted in a Styrofoam box. It is ready for eating after the salt has been washed away and it has been dried. There’s no doubting that your own personally salted salmon will have a unique and wonderful flavour.