Prepare fresh Japanese squid.

Poke your fingers down into the body, and pull the innards out.

Cut the liver above the eyes, and pickle it in a generous amount of salt (not listed above) for longer than 12 hours.

Cut into the body to butterfly it, and wash the flesh (without the innards or cartilage).

Pull off the outer skin membrane to give the dish a refined white appearance. Keep the outer skin membrane for a red appearance. The latter is richer. Prepare it as you like.

Soak the squid in a saline solution of 3% salt. It should soak for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, drain and blot the excess water with a paper towel, then transfer to a colander to dry. If you're in a hurry, rely on an electric fan to speed up the drying. Do not set it in direct sunlight.

Remove the seeds from the red chili pepper, then slice it into thin rounds with kitchen scissors. Slice the kombu the same way.

After 1/2-1 day of drying, cut the squid into bite-sized pieces.

Thoroughly rinse the salt off of the liver, and blot off excess moisture. Put it on a cutting board and chop it with a knife. Transfer it to a bowl, and thoroughly combine it with the seasoning ingredients and the squid pieces.

Put it in an airtight container or vinyl bag, then store it in the refrigerator. Stir in up once a day.

After it marinates for 4-5 days, it's done. Be sure to stir it up once a day for the following days.

Try shiokara ochazuke (rice porridge) by topping rice with shiokara in a bonito and kombu dashi soup.

Try shiokara on top of a baked potato with a pat of butter! This is a popular way to eat shiokara in Hakodate, Hokkaido.