What is Japanese sake (salmon) flakes?
Japanese have adapted many English words and mixed them with Japanese in a funny way. “Sake (salmon) flakes” is one of them. Instead of being “flat and thin,” sake flakes are simply small and loose pieces of salmon meat.
It almost looks like canned salmon. But sake flakes are devoid of moisture, therefore have concentrated flavors. Many sake flake products have additional condiments such as salt, sugar, sake or mirin, then some additives such as MSGs to enhance flavors.
Japanese often use sake flakes as a condiment for rice. You can think of it as more raw version of furikake.
As the rule of thumb, quality matters for seafood products. If you prioritize price over quality, you may end up choosing products that have unpleasant “fishy” smell, or more additives to offset the lack of pleasant flavors and excess unpleasant tastes/smells.
But MUJI’s sake flakes that are in the pictures above contain no additives, as they are made only using salmon and salt. It has great flavors and no unpleasant smells. The great thing about MUJI’s food products is that their prices are relatively modest, but the quality is good.
