Miso Glazed Salmon

Quick, easy, delicious salmon dinner! Salmon fillets marinated in a mixture of miso, sake, and soy sauce, then cooked under the broiler.

Fermented soybean paste.

Sounds great, right? Heh.

But that’s essentially what Japanese miso is, a savory, salty paste usually made with fermented soybeans or rice and barley. Rich in protein and nutrients, and utterly delicious, a little tub of miso is quite a useful ingredient to have on hand.

Stir it with a little yogurt and rice vinegar for a quick and lovely salad dressing, or mix it with sake and toss it with stir-fried vegetables.

This recipe of salmon fillets with a miso glaze couldn’t be easier. The strong flavor of the salmon holds up beautifully with the sweet and salty miso glaze.

To make, you just mix miso, some sake and soy sauce into a marinade, coat the fillets, and let the salmon marinate while working on the rest of the meal. The fish cooks under the broiler in 10 minutes or less.

Marinate the fish longer, even overnight, for more infused miso flavor. You can also dress up simple cod with this method.

Miso Glazed Salmon Recipe

  • Prep time: 35 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4

Red miso is stronger tasting than white miso. You can use either, but if using white miso, you may want to use a little more than if using red miso.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp red miso or 3 Tbsp white miso
  • 2 Tbsp sake
  • 2 Tbsp sugar (less or more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets

Method

1 Mix the miso, sake, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Adjust proportions to taste.

2 Marinate the salmon: Pour half of the mixture into a container large enough to fit the salmon fillets, then pour the rest over the top of the fish. Make sure the fish is coated with the miso sauce.

Cover the container and marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.

3 Broil the salmon: Line a broiling pan with aluminum foil. Brush a little vegetable oil over the foil and lay the salmon fillets on top. Make sure there is an even, thin coating of marinade on top of the fish.

Place the fillets no closer than about 6 inches from the broiler element in your oven. Broil for 6-10 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are and how hot your broiler is.

Keep an eye on the salmon. The marinade has sugar in it that can easily cause the glaze to burn. If it starts charring and the cooking isn’t yet finished, place the fish on a lower rack in the oven.

Serve with rice and stir-fried vegetables.


Links:

Miso Salmon with Orange and Fennel – from Steamy Kitchen

Miso Sriracha Glazed Salmon – from The Perfect Pantry

Creamy Miso Salmon Soup – from No Recipes

Miso salad dressing from Use Real Butter

Whiskey Miso Pork Chops from Steamy Kitchen

What’s the difference? White, yellow and red miso – an explanation from The Kitchn