Hokkaido Fisherman's Chanchan-yaki (with Salmon Ochazuke and Chanchan-yaki Udon)

Sprinkle salt evenly over both the flesh and skin sides of the autumn salmon and let it sit for 5-10 minutes so osmosis draws out the liquid that carries the off-flavors.

While the salmon rests, cut the vegetables. Peel the onion, cut out the core, and cut it into bite-sized wedges.

Trim the top off the carrot and cut it into half-moons. There's no need to peel it — once sauteed the skin won't bother you and it holds a lot of nutrients.

Cut out the cabbage core and cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. The core has more nutrients than the leaves, so slice it thinly and use it in soup.

Trim the ends off the enoki, cut them in half, and pull the shimeji apart. Maitake, king oyster mushrooms, or any mushrooms you like will work too.

Peel the potato, remove the eyes, cut it in half, and then slice into 6-7 mm half-moons. You can cut back on the type and amount of vegetables to taste, but potato and onion give it that Hokkaido character, so try to include them.

Thoroughly blot the liquid that the salted salmon has released with paper towels. The off-flavors are in that liquid.

Pull the salmon skin with your left hand while scraping it off with a knife, then cut the removed skin into bite-sized pieces. Don't worry if the skin tears partway or some flesh comes away with it.

Make the sauce before cooking the ingredients. Combine and mix 2 tablespoons miso (a 1:1 blend of white miso and awase miso), 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons sake, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Remember the ratio as 2:2:2:2:1 and adjust to the amount of ingredients.

Once the pan is hot, add the salmon and potato and leave them undisturbed to develop a fragrant sear. After a while, flip them over and sear the other side.

Once both sides are seared, remove the salmon and potato, add all the remaining vegetables and mushrooms, and place the seared salmon and potato on top. Pour the sauce evenly over everything, cover, and steam-fry for about 10 minutes. Even if there are so many ingredients that the lid won't close, force it on — they will wilt down quickly.

While it steam-fries, crisp up the salmon skin in a pan without any oil. Placing the side that was attached to the flesh face down keeps it from curling. Also get piping hot hojicha ready.

Top a small portion of rice with the crispy salmon skin chips and add shredded nori and wasabi. Pour over the piping hot hojicha, sprinkle lightly with salt, and the salmon ochazuke is done.

Scatter green onions over the chanchan-yaki, grind over plenty of black pepper, and top with butter to finish.

To finish off the meal, reheat the leftover chanchan-yaki, add the microwaved frozen udon, and toss well to make chanchan-yaki udon.