Yosenabe Recipe: How to Make the Seafood and Veggie Hot Pot

Yosenabe is a classic Japanese hot pot-style dish traditionally prepared and served in a communal setting. Its name comes from “yose,” from the verb “yoseru,” meaning “to gather” or “put together,” and “nabe” meaning “pot.”

Yosenabe consists of various raw vegetables, meats, and seafood placed around a communal pot of hot dashi broth. Dinner guests then cook the raw ingredients in the broth, allowing for a fun, customizable meal shared among friends and family.

Yosenabe is an approachable, one-pot dish that requires little to no cooking experience to craft successfully. Use these tips to make the most of your Japanese hot pot.

1. 1. Cook it on the stovetop. If you don’t have access to an electric skillet or hot plate (or prefer to cook all of the ingredients simultaneously), heat the dashi broth on the stovetop. For this method, cut the vegetables into consistent bite-size pieces, which will help them cook evenly.
2. 2. Load up on vegetables. There is no limit to the number of veggies you can incorporate into yosenabe. Scallions, white onions, negi (Japanese long onions), menma (seasoned bamboo shoots), daikon radish, Napa cabbage, and any green, leafy vegetable are great potential additions.
3. 3. Incorporate various proteins. You can add an array of meats and seafood to a yosenabe spread. Make it a seafood feast by serving sliced salmon fillets, non-oily white fishes, fishcakes, and shellfish like mussels, squid, scallops, and crab. Or go the meatier route with pork or chicken meatballs, thinly sliced beef and pork, and cubed chicken thighs. For a vegetarian protein option, add cubes of firm tofu to your spread. Keep in mind that the meat or seafood will add flavor to the soup broth.
4. 4. Add your favorite starch. Add dried, fresh, or frozen noodles to your hot pot spread for a more satiating meal. Soba noodles, udon noodles, vermicelli noodles, or even ramen noodles are great options to add to the leftover broth. Other common starch options include rice cakes or frozen dumplings.