Datemaki Recipe: How to Make a Sweet Rolled Omelet

Datemaki is a Japanese sweet rolled omelet that combines eggs, fish cake (sometimes, fish or shrimp paste), and seasonings like soy sauce and mirin. The mixture gets baked until fluffy, then rolled into a tight cylinder and sliced into individual pieces.

Datemaki is similar to tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) but is distinct in its inclusion of hanpen, a white fish cake made from surimi (Alaskan pollock) and grated yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam) seasoned with dashi and salt.

You can serve tamagoyaki over rice as a nigiri or tuck it into larger maki sushi rolls, but datemaki is a standalone dish or side dish. Additionally, datemaki gets cooked in the oven rather than a frying pan on the stovetop.

The name “datemaki” may refer to a date-jime, the wide sash worn with kimonos during the Edo period, which is when the dish first became popular. “Maki” means “rolled,” a nod to the omelet’s resemblance to a rolled-up sash.

Datemaki is one of many varieties of osechi ryori, traditional Japanese New Year’s foods packaged in boxes known as jūbako. Like bento boxes, jūbako boxes feature partitioned compartments that you can fill with bite-sized dishes, all of which bring good tidings for the year ahead. Slices of a scroll-shaped datemaki symbolize scholarship and learning.

Serve datemaki at room temperature, tucked into jūbako boxes, or as part of a special occasion spread. Here’s what to know about this simple, stunning presentation.

1. 1. Creating the spiral: Datemaki gets baked in a single thin layer then rolled up like a Swiss roll. To ensure the baked egg doesn’t crack or break while rolling, score the surface while it’s still slightly warm.
2. 2. Using the right fish cakes: You’ll find hanpen fish cake in the frozen section of Asian grocery stores, alongside other popular options like pink-and-white kamaboko. White fish paste or shrimp paste are both acceptable substitutions, though in either case, you may want to add a splash of kombu dashi to the mix for flavor.
3. 3. Using an onisudare rolling mat: Besides the inner spiral, another datemaki signature is the deep notches along the outer edge. You can achieve this effect with a particular bamboo mat known as an onisudare, which has uniquely deep ridges. You may also use a standard sushi mat, known as a makisu, but the outer edges of the scroll will be less distinct.