Salmon Tataki (with a blowtorch)

I've been on a mission to make Salmon Tataki at home and I finally got a blowtorch to try it! After a few attempts, I have finally landed on a method that produces a beautiful char and smokiness. The best part is it is very simple to do and takes less than 5 minutes.

If you saw my last post on salmon sashimi, you know I used Costco's farmed salmon. I decided to use that again today. There's a lot of speculation on how safe it is, and I covered it in the previous post so go check it out if you're curious.

Blowtorch vs searing for salmon tataki

In my experience, a blowtorch is much better for salmon tataki than searing in a pan. The reason is because salmon tataki should be completely raw on the inside and only a thin layer should be cooked on the outside. Searing is much more likely to overcook the inside and it does not give the same level of charring on the outside.

What blowtorch am I using?

I'm using the Iwatani Pro butane torch. I got this on Amazon for relatively cheap (around $70). It was very easy to use and honestly made the salmon tataki taste just like the restaurant. I actually bought my torch a few weeks ago and I've already used it for a few different things, like melting cheese on burgers and making creme brulee.

For the butane, you want to use the same kind that you would use for hotpot or barbeque stoves. It usually comes in 8-ounce containers. When I first bought the butane torch, I actually bought the wrong type of butane (2.75-ounce cartridge) because Amazon recommended the wrong one on the product page. So if you buy the Iwatani, just make sure you buy the correct butane.

How to torch the salmon.

The most important step is to slice the salmon first. The first time I did this, I made the mistake of torching the salmon first, and the salmon completely fell apart when I sliced it. It's because the cooked parts become very delicate after torching.

Here's my epic fail:

And here's when I sliced the salmon first:

As you can see, the results were much better. The pieces were beautifully charred and they did not fall apart.

Note: Make sure you do the torching on a wire rack or something that can withstand a lot of heat (I used a stainless steel pan) as the flames can get very hot. Definitely do not do this on glass or anything that has a nonstick coating.