Surpassing the trendy Lawson! I tried making an authentic "Bodakko Bento" with super spicy salted salmon and carefully selected white rice.

Lawson has shockingly released the extremely simple "One-point breakthrough! Rice goes great with Bodakko (salmon)" (Bodakko Bento), but I've created a truly luxurious "Bodakko Bento" that far surpasses this. A writer from a prestigious family in Akita with over 120 years of rice cultivation history has authentically recreated it using freshly milled new rice from my family home and real Bodakko with salt crystals!

Cheers to Lawson's "Bodakko"! But the stomach from Akita remembered the "relentless saltiness."

Product Name / Lawson "Superb Breakthrough! Delicious Rice-Filling Bodakko (Salmon)"
Price / 275 yen

When I saw the "Bodakko Bento" at Lawson, I involuntarily did a double take. I couldn't believe I could encounter my local soul food at a convenience store nationwide! I was amazed and truly happy. However, after actually taking a bite, my stomach spoke.

"It's delicious. But, it's too refined..."

What my stomach remembers as authentic is much more aggressive and relentless in saltiness. "Bodakko" is a dialect from Akita Prefecture, particularly referring to the high-salt-content salmon. When grilled, salt crystals burst out, and just one piece can consume a whole cup of rice, making it super spicy salty salmon. For someone who knows the intense umami behind that saltiness, I couldn't help but find it lacking. "Then, I have no choice but to make it myself!"

The pride of a daughter from a 120-year-old rice farming family and the spirit of Akita have completely ignited.

This is Akita's "relentless saltiness." The real Bodakko descends, with salt crystals bursting when grilled

In the supermarket, a package of salted salmon with "spicy" written on it. The intensity is conveyed.

When I opened the box of "freshly harvested and freshly milled new rice" that arrived from my parents' house, there was salmon included. This is the real bodakko that could never be found no matter how many supermarkets I searched in the metropolitan area. The strong gold sticker labeled "spicy" on the pack is proof of its relentless saltiness. The firm texture and deep, rich red color clearly set it apart from typical sweet salmon, radiating an extraordinary aura.

The more you grill it, the more salt it releases! A sign of spicy salmon.

I immediately began to carefully grill this bodakko that exudes an aura. As the heat intensifies, not only does a fragrant salmon smell fill the kitchen, but the strong aroma of "salt" spreads rapidly.

As it nears completion, a "real" transformation begins on the surface of the salmon. Along with oil that has slowly oozed out, white, gritty "salt crystals" erupt like snow. This is the bodakko from Akita that has been etched in my stomach since childhood. As it cools, the saltiness sharpens further, and the umami concentrates, delivering the best hometown flavor that seems born for bento.

To go with this top-notch bodakko, of course, is the freshly harvested, glossy, freshly picked new rice from my parents' house.

The genuine Akita Komachi new rice from my parents' house shines!

The "bodakko," with salt crystals like snow, is raised in a mess tin

People from outside Akita Prefecture may find it hard to imagine, but even with this amount of salmon, bodakko is exceedingly salty.

It's delicious on its own, but I prefer to enjoy it in the traditional bento style.

I heard that when my parents' generation were elementary school students, they would fill aluminum bento boxes with this bodakko and rice, and carefully warm it on the school's stove. Just hearing about it makes my mouth water, evoking warm winter memories from the Showa era. Unfortunately, I don't have the aluminum bento box from back then, so as a small reproduction, I dug out my favorite mess tin and single burner.

Let's open the lid and dig in.

The moment it touches my mouth, the salmon fat gently melts out from the bodakko, enveloping the new rice in its rich, intense saltiness. And above all, the fragrant crispy rice stuck to the bottom of the mess tin, thanks to the direct flame, is simply the best! The salty, fatty crispy "okoge" elevates the overall deliciousness even further.<

People from outside Akita Prefecture might think, "Is this really the right amount of salmon?" but even so, bodakko is so salty that it might be too much. But this is irresistibly delicious! Eating bodakko with the glossy, moist texture of new Akita Komachi rice is undoubtedly the ultimate rice thief.

Next to the bento, it's time to head to the real deal! Rice, sake, and delicious Akita are waiting for you.

"This time I made a bodakko bento, but in Akita, there are still many delicious and uniquely characterized soul foods beyond this. The rice, sake, and the deep food culture are truly appealing, so I would be happy if the bodakko bento sparks your interest in Akita. And if you have the chance, please come visit Akita to experience the authentic flavors!"

Interview and text by Yui Hara

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Surpassing the trendy Lawson! I tried making an authentic "Bodakko Bento" with super spicy salted salmon and carefully selected white rice.

Cheers to Lawson's "Bodakko"! But the stomach from Akita remembered the "relentless saltiness."

This is Akita's "relentless saltiness." The real Bodakko descends, with salt crystals bursting when grilled

The "bodakko," with salt crystals like snow, is raised in a mess tin

Next to the bento, it's time to head to the real deal! Rice, sake, and delicious Akita are waiting for you.

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