Nabemono is a traditional Japanese soup typically served in wintertime, when the warmth of hot broth seems particularly welcome. It's a simple, throw-it-together kind of a food - one that can adapt easily to whatever bits of fish, meat, or vegetables lurk in your refrigerator. I make it frequently in the winter, particularly when I am tired but in want of something nourishing.
Jump to Recipe
Nabemono is a compound word; that is, it combines the word nabe (cooking pot) with mono (stuff). Nabemono are typically cooked in a clay pot called a donabe. They're beautiful little pots, and very versatile. Of course, you can also substitute a clay baker or a Dutch oven.
Broth for Nabemono
When I prepare nabemono at home, I start first as I do with any soup recipe; I start with delicious broth. To make a true fish stock requires fish bones, fish heads, and other scraps which I typically don't have access to, so I typically make my broth from a combination of kombu (a seaweed) and bonito flakes which are smoked and dried fish that's shaved paper-thin. You can find both in Asian markets and well-stocked health food stores. Combined together with filtered water, they make dashi - traditional Japanese stock that, unlike other broths and stocks, takes only a little time as opposed to several hours for a good bone broth.
Assembling the Nabemono
I also like to paint a bit of miso onto the donabe itself - as the broth hits the ingredients and donabe, the miso dissolves and leaves its beautiful, rich flavor. After painting the pot with miso, simply arrange your vegetables, proteins, and herbs in the pot. Duck and mushrooms are good. My favorite pot, when I was a child, held the surprise of a little crab (put in live) among the wakame and other herbs.
Cover your ingredients with broth, and continue cooking for a few minutes. Traditionally, nabemono continues cooking on a little gas stove at the table, but I typically place mine in the oven for 15 minutes or so.
Bruce W. Alter says
What diameter donabe do you use for this recipe?
Silas Miller says
Thanks for inspiring me. Was looking for a salmon shiitake recipe like I had at a japanese place in Toronto. This was even better! The miso painting was very helpful. I used cherry hot peppers and swiss chard instead of spinach. Thanks again!
Stacey says
I"m getting ready to make this, but I just ran out of spinach for another recipe I'm working on at the moment. Instead of spinach, how do you think flat leaf kale would tasted?
Stacey says
Turned out great with the kale. Thanks for this recipe. It's very delicious. It made my house smell so yummy; not fishy at all.
Nicole Pyle says
I just made this and it's a great recipe! My only question is: is this supposed to be so bland? Maybe I just overload my food with seasonings and salt, but this didn't really have much of a flavor to me. Am I missing something important? I used the recipe verbatim, and even added some shrimp in shells for fun. Thank you!
Jenny says
Yes, this is very delicately flavored.
Matt says
Wait! What about the crab!? Did you crack it open once you got to the bottom or what? What kind of crab? You must have been adding the broth very hot to cook the little guys.
Jen says
Oh my. Looks delicious. We have a freezer full of Alaskan salmon that I need to use. This is perfect.
cheryl says
I made this the other night when it was hot and steamy out and everyone loved it! Even though it is hearty, it is a great summer dish too! There were big bunches of purslane at the farmer's market, fresh and cheap, so I used that instead of the spinach! It was amazing! This will be on regular rotation now at my house!
Thanks!
Naomi says
I really would like to find a way to buy just free GMO food . Do you any supermarket whee I could find it .
thank you
Briana says
Any substitutions for those of us that don't like salmon? Would another fish work? Could you use a chicken or pork tenderloin? I know that sounds weird but most fish are not allowed in our house (salmon being a very specific one!!) and this looks so good. I would love to find a suitable alternate protein.
Thanks!!
The Girls' Guide to Guns and Butter says
This looks and sounds wonderful, and I love the way you make fish stock. In the summer I buy whole fish from a fishmonger and make the stock with bones and heads and trimmings and it is amazing, but this is such a promosing mid-winter option. I even have an asian store in my town of 4,000, believe it or not, and a kick-butt food co-op to find the ingredients.
Cindy says
This looks soo good and makes me miss Japan even more! We left in 2007 when I retired from the Navy! Miss lots of food from Japan! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!!
MKCountryman says
So, I am making this now. Does the spinach go in before you put it in the over or just at the end? The way I read it, it has both.....I'm guessing either two bunches of spinach or......wait? Because it cooks down so much?
Jenny says
BEFORE you put it in the oven for the easiest way, but either way will work.
Angela says
Oh this looks simply amazing!!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Lisa says
This looks great! I have one question: would it be possible to make this soup with canned salmon? I have some wild caught canned salmon in my pantry, and fresh is not in the budget for this week. I'm guessing it won't taste as good. Maybe I could just stir in the salmon at the end to heat it up in the soup (since it's pre-cooked)?
Taisa says
We made it- with shrimp and morels cause that's what we had- and it was so good! My kids gobbled it up and it was so fast and easy. Thanks so much, we'll be making this one again for sure!
Scott says
No concerns with heavy metals in bonito flakes? I've not found anything conclusive but it is a type of tuna.
Jenny says
Nope. I have no concerns about that at all.
wholesome kids says
I just bought miso yesterday wondering what to do with it! This sounds perfect!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
Once I got over the fact that I wasn't going to be reading about writing a novel over the course of November (NaNoWriMo)
I could enjoy your photography and salivate at the thought of this soup.
It looks delicious.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Emma says
This looks fantastic! I love any sort of Asian broth - that to me is absolute comfort food, a big steaming bowl of healthiness. I'll be trying this for dinner tonight...
Koritt says
Definitely just made me salivate. Once I can manage to venture out into the cold to get the ingredients, I imagine I'll be having at least a few meals of this. 🙂
Taisa says
wow, your timing is terrific- I was just on the computer this weekend looking for Japanese hotpot recipes and have it on my meal plan for this week but hadn't found a good recipe. Can't wait to try yours!
MKCountryman says
This looks so good. OK, so pardon if this is a silly question. I'm assuming the picture on the left is cooked. So, do you just cut up the fish? Do you cook it with the skin on? And it doesn't look too soupy - more hearty...looks yummy.
Lori U says
I love Japanese soups! Did you live in Okinawa? I have friends that have lived there for at least 25 yrs and she teaches in the Elem. school on base. Hope to visit one day.
Patricia says
Hello, Jenny. This looks delicious. I note that you add spinach in the final step, but spinach is not mentioned in the ingredient list. How much spinach do you add and how fine to you cut it? Thanks
Blanche Douma says
Hello Jenny ! I was surprised that your instructions were to add HOT broth to the miso-coated bowl, and (what's more surprising) to continue cooking longer. I am reluctant to destroy the live enzymes in my miso in that way - but I may have mis-read your directions - OR - perhaps sacrificing the enzymes is worth having it's flavor in the bowl of soup ?
jenny says
Miso is usually prepared by adding miso to hot broth, not the other way around, but there's no harm in it. It's very difficult to flavor the soup with miso by spooning it in after cooking is complete, and, traditionally, miso-flavored nabemono are made by painting miso onto the donabe. So, logistically, adding miso after cooking is a problem here. Assuming you're eating a nutrient-dense diet with a plenty of raw foods and fermented foods, a bit of cooked miso won't make you really miss anything.
Emily Reitnauer says
Thanks for this recipe, Jenny! Also, I love the new layout. It's so much easier to find things! Thank you for your work.
jenny says
So glad you like the new layout. I worked with a very talented designer to get it done. I hope it makes everything easier to find (and easier to discover cool new things, too!).
Alexandra @ Creative Simple Life says
This looks delicious! Nice & warming for wintertime. I've been craving a good veggie soup. I'll have to give this one a try.