This Is Dynamite!

Salmon and Scallop Dynamite

We’ve been enjoying Dynamite at sushi restaurants for decades, but had never thought to prepare it at home. Recently we enjoyed another fabulous meal at Roy Choi’s Best Friend on the Vegas Strip. Every single dish was intriguing, with bold delicious flavors. His Uni Dynamite Rice was no exception.

Now, the other day I made another fantastic platter of sockeye salmon crudo, and had some leftover pieces of salmon after I had arranged the fish on the plate. Since receiving my shipment of sashimi-grade Alaskan salmon, I’ve been looking for more raw fish recipes. I pulled out Chef Sam Choy’s cookbook, Poke, and came across his recipe for Salmon Dynamite.

As a super-tasty use for my leftover salmon pieces and a way to reimagine Best Friend’s dish… the inspiration for my Salmon and Scallop Dynamite recipe comes from Chef Roy Choi and Chef Sam Choy. A Choi-Choy Dynamite you might say.

Sam Choy is a four-time nominee for the James Beard Best Pacific Regional chef award, winning in 2004. He is often credited as the “Godfather of Poke” and the Culinary Ambassador of the Big Island. Read my interview with him about poke and sustainability here.

Chef Roy Choi’s amazing Uni Dynamite Rice is pictured above with salmon roe, sriracha, yuzu, and sesame. All the dishes we have tried are unique and mind-blowing.  On a previous visit to Best Friend we had an extraordinary vegetarian Eggplant Schnitzel, read about it here.

The Chef says of his restaurant at Park MGM, “It’s Koreatown in a capsule – a portal to the streets of LA, but also rooted in what makes Las Vegas… VEGAS.”

Salmon and Scallop Dynamite Recipe

Sushi Rice

• 1 c. short grain rice, cook according to package
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt

Place vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave briefly until hot. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let cool slightly.

Sprinkle vinegar mixture over just cooked rice and toss to combine.

Dynamite Sauce

• 2/3 c. mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 t. tamari
• 1 1/2 t. toasted sesame oil
• 2 t. sriracha or sambal

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Dynamite Filling

• 1 1/4 c. thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
• 3 oz. salmon – leftover salmon scraps from crudo in bite-sized pieces*
• 5 oz. bay scallops – we like Wild-Caught Magdalena Bay Scallops from Mexico 60-80 count (diver caught, no preservatives)

*Note: As tasty as this dynamite is, I would not use an expensive pristine salmon fillet and cover it up with spicy mayonnaise… But if there is leftover salmon, this dish is perfect.

*If you don’t have leftover salmon, substitute a full 8 oz. of scallops.

Defrost bay scallops then dry well in paper towels.

Mix mushrooms, salmon, and scallops with dynamite sauce.

To Assemble

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Lightly coat a medium shallow cooking vessel such as a Le Creuset oval baker with olive oil.

Loosely spoon warm sushi rice into vessel but do not compact. (All the cooked sushi rice will not be needed). Top rice with furikake (rice seasoning).

Spoon dynamite mixture over the rice.

Cook for about 20 minutes until the dynamite is hot and bubbly and the scallops are just cooked through.

Finish until the broiler (but not too close) for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the top if needed.

To Serve

Simply garnish with sliced scallions.

Or add a sprinkling of more furikake and dollops of fish roe such as ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe), masago (smelt roe), or even (plant-based) seaweed roe. Serve immediately.

Appetizer Presentation

Scoop mounds of the dynamite on appetizer spoons. Arrange spoons on a platter, garnish with a sprinkling of furikake and sliced scallions.

More Salmon

Margarita Salmon Burger here

Korean Grilled Salmon here

Norwegian Smoked Salmon Toast here

More Scallops

Sea Scallops in Korean Seaweed Soup here

Sea Scallops with Champagne Truffle Cream here