Umeboshi (Salted Pickled Plums with Red Shiso)

Name: Umeboshi (Salted Pickled Plums with Red Shiso)
Prep time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 30 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2.2 lb (1000 g) ripe yellow ume plums, fully yellow and fragrant, unbruised; 2 quart (2000 ml) cold water, for soaking; 6⅓ oz (180 g) coarse sea salt, 18% of the plum weight; reserve about 30 g for the top layer; ¼ cup (60 ml) shochu or other 35% ABV clear spirit; 7 oz (200 g) red shiso leaves, stripped from the stems, washed and dried completely; 1.4 oz (40 g) coarse sea salt, divided: 30 g for the first rub, 10 g for the second

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Traditional Japanese salt-cured ume plums, made with 18% salt by weight for safe, reliable preserving. They are colored with salted red shiso and sun-dried for three days. The result is tart, salty, fruity and deeply savory. You also get a bonus jar of ruby-red umezu (plum brine) to use as a seasoning vinegar.

Prep: 2 hr 10 min
Cook: —
Wait: 60.2 days
Total: 60.3 days
Makes: About 35 umeboshi (from 1 kg plums) plus about 200 ml umezu brine

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Ingredients

30 servings

For the plums
2¼ lb (1000 g) ripe yellow ume plums, fully yellow and fragrant, unbruised
2 quart (2000 ml) cold water, for soaking
6⅓ oz (180 g) coarse sea salt, 18% of the plum weight; reserve about 30 g for the top layer
¼ cup (60 ml) shochu or other 35% ABV clear spirit
For the red shiso
7 oz (200 g) red shiso leaves, stripped from the stems, washed and dried completely
1½ oz (40 g) coarse sea salt, divided: 30 g for the first rub, 10 g for the second

Equipment (10)

3-liter (3-quart) wide-mouth glass jar or glazed ceramic crock
Kitchen scale accurate to 1 g
Clean plate or drop lid that fits inside the container
Weights totaling 2 kg (4.4 lb) that can be reduced to 1 kg (2.2 lb), such as sealed bags of salt or water-filled bottles
Bamboo skewer or toothpick for removing stems
Large bowl, 4-liter (4-quart) size
Clean lint-free kitchen towels
Flat bamboo tray or wire drying rack, about 12×16 inches (30×40 cm)
Disposable gloves for handling shiso (optional, as the dye stains)
Clean cloth and string, or plastic wrap, for covering the container

Steps

Before you start

Timing: this is a project of about 2 months. Ripening takes 3 days, salt curing about 3 weeks, shiso 1 week and sun-drying 3 days. Then age the plums at least 1 month. Plan around fresh ume (late May to June), red shiso (June to July) and a stretch of 3 sunny days.
Buy ripe, yellow, fragrant ume with no bruises. Green unripe ume are for umeshu and make harsh, hard umeboshi.
Use a non-reactive container (glass, glazed ceramic or food-grade plastic). Never use aluminum, copper or bare metal because the salt and acid will corrode it.
Do not reduce the salt. 18% of the plum weight is what keeps the plums from molding and spoiling, so weigh the plums and salt on a scale.
Everything that touches the plums must be clean and fully dry. Water on the fruit or container invites mold.

1
Ripen the plums
- Spread the ume in a single layer on a tray or in a shallow basket at cool room temperature, out of direct sun.
- Leave them for about 3 days, until they are fully yellow, slightly soft at the shoulders and smell strongly fruity.
- Discard any with dark spots or mold.
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Ready when: Plums are evenly yellow, fragrant and give slightly when pressed
Tip: Do not wait until they are bruised or wrinkled.
2
Soak and de-stem
- Put the plums in a large bowl, cover with the 2 liters (2 quarts) of cold water and soak for 2 hours to remove bitterness.
- Drain.
- Use a bamboo skewer to pop out the small dark stem nub on each plum, taking care not to pierce the flesh.
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Ready when: Every stem nub is removed and the skin is unbroken
Tip: Ripe plums bruise easily. Handle them gently and do not scrub.
3
Dry the plums
- Wipe each plum with a clean towel, then lay them on dry towels in a single layer, out of direct sun.
- Air-dry for about 2 hours, wiping again if any beads of moisture remain, especially around the stem dimple.
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Ready when: Plums feel completely dry to the touch with no damp spots
Tip: Moisture left on the plums is the number one cause of mold.
4
Sterilize the container
- Wash the jar or crock, plate and weights with hot soapy water, rinse well and dry completely.
- Pour the shochu into the jar, swirl to coat the entire inside, then wipe the plate with a clean paper towel dampened with the shochu.
- Pour out any leftover shochu and let the jar air-dry for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Container smells faintly of alcohol and looks dry
Tip: Keep the shochu away from open flame.
5
Layer plums and salt
- Sprinkle a thin layer of the plum salt over the bottom of the jar.
- Add a layer of plums, then sprinkle with salt.
- Repeat, using about 150 g of the salt in total in the layers, and finish with the remaining 30 g spread over the top so the plums are fully covered.
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Ready when: All 180 g of salt is used and no plum is left bare on top
Tip: Weigh the salt first and divide it by eye, saving a little extra for the top, where mold starts.
6
Weigh down and wait
- Set the plate on top of the plums and add weights totaling 2 kg (twice the weight of the plums).
- Cover the jar loosely with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and tie it on.
- Keep in a cool, dark place for about 3 days.
- Brine (umezu) will rise and should cover the plums.
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Ready when: Brine comes up to or above the top layer of plums
Tip: If the brine has not covered the plums after 3 days, leave the heavy weight on for another day or two.
7
Lighten the weight and cure
- Once the brine covers the plums, replace the weights with ones totaling about 1 kg (equal to the plum weight).
- Re-cover and keep in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, checking every few days.
- If white mold forms, spoon it off and wipe the sides with a shochu-dampened towel.
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Ready when: Plums are submerged and slightly wrinkled, and the brine is cloudy and amber
Tip: Never pour off the brine. It protects the plums.
8
Salt the shiso
- Wash the shiso leaves and dry them very well with towels.
- Place in a bowl with 30 g of the shiso salt and rub firmly with your hands for 2 minutes.
- Squeeze hard and discard the dark, bitter liquid.
- Repeat with the remaining 10 g salt, rubbing and squeezing again, and discard that liquid too.
- Ladle 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of brine from the plums over the leaves and mix until the leaves turn bright red-pink.
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Ready when: Leaves are limp and bright magenta-red, and the dark liquid has been discarded
Tip: Wear gloves because the dye stains hands and counters. Skipping the discarded squeezes makes the pickles bitter and dull brown.
9
Add shiso and steep
- Remove the weights and plate.
- Spread the shiso over and between the top plums, pour in the colored liquid and press so the leaves are submerged.
- Replace the plate and the 1 kg weight and re-cover.
- Leave for 1 week in a cool, dark place, until the plums look rosy red.
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Ready when: Plums and brine are a deep ruby red
10
Sun-dry the plums
- Pick a stretch of 3 sunny days.
- Lift the plums from the brine and arrange them on the tray in a single layer without touching.
- Set in direct sun, ideally with air movement, for 3 days, turning each plum once a day.
- Bring the tray inside at night and when it rains.
- Dry some shiso leaves alongside if you like, for crumbling into rice as a seasoning.
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Ready when: Skins are slightly wrinkled and the plums feel tacky but still soft and plump
Tip: No sunshine? Use a dehydrator at 113°F (45°C) for 8–12 hours, until the surface is tacky and slightly wrinkled.
11
Jar and age
- Return the dried plums to the clean, dry jar and pour the umezu over them.
- Cover and keep in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator.
- Wait at least 1 month before eating so the saltiness rounds out.
- They are best after 3 months and keep improving for years.
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Ready when: Plums are soft and deeply colored, and taste salty and sour without harshness
Tip: Use only clean, dry utensils to remove plums.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh, don't measure by cups. 18% salt by plum weight is the safety margin.
Keep the plums submerged in brine at all times during curing, because exposed plums mold.
Save the umezu. It is a salty, fruity seasoning for dressings, sushi rice and marinades.
Do not lower the salt below 15% for home curing, as lower-salt versions need refrigeration and can spoil.

Make ahead

This recipe is itself a make-ahead preserve. Plums can wait in the brine for months before the sun-drying step as long as they stay fully submerged.

Storage & reheating

Store in the sealed jar with the umezu in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year, or in the refrigerator for several years, since flavor improves with age. Do not freeze. No reheating needed. Eat straight from the jar, in rice balls, or in tea or sauces.

Substitutions

shochu or other 35% ABV clear spirit → Vodka or white rum (35–40% ABV). Used only to sanitize, so any clear high-proof spirit works.
red shiso leaves → Omit entirely for plain white umeboshi (shiroboshi). Skip the shiso steps. The flavor is the same, just without the red color, and the plums still need the sun-drying.
coarse sea salt → Fine unrefined sea salt. Use the same weight, 180 g. Do not substitute by volume. Avoid iodized table salt.
ripe yellow ume plums → Slightly underripe ume. Hold at room temperature until yellow. Hard green fruit will not work.