Fry up this melt-in-your-mouth miso salmon in just 10 minutes! Slathered in a classic Japanese combination of miso, sake and more – you’ll never have boring fish again.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
This easy miso glazed salmon recipe is sweet, savoury and so full of flavour. With simple prep and quick cook time, we love how fast this dish comes together.
There’s nothing better than moist and flaky salmon inside and getting that crispy skin on the outside. The sweet glaze helps to achieve that easily, adding extra flavour to the meat.
Related: Tuna Mornay / Nikumiso
What is Miso Salmon?
Miso salmon, while probably not a traditional Japanese dish, has certainly rose to popularity throughout Japan and the rest of the world.
Usually served on rice, you’ll usually find thin steaks of salmon with the skin on, marinated in a sweet and savoury mix of miso paste (usually red), sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce.
What You’ll Need
- Salmon – We love skin on salmon steaks, and try to pick out pieces that are the most similar in shape and size for uniform cooking.
- Miso Paste – We use red miso for a deeper, richer umami flavour. You can also use white miso for a sweeter finish.
- Soy Sauce – For the best flavour use a Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman which has the perfect balance of flavour and salt. Sub with tamari for a gluten-free option.
- Mirin – A sweet rice wine for cooking. If you can’t find it at your supermarket, you can omit or add in a 1/2 tsp of sugar instead. You can sometimes find this in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online.
- Cooking Sake – Another cooking wine, but less sweet. Sub with Chinese cooking wine, sherry or a blend of 50:50 vodka and water in a pinch.
- Sugar – The extra sweetness helps to caramelise the marinade as it cooks, enhancing the flavour! Sub with honey or maple syrup if you prefer.
- Vegetable Oil – For cooking.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Charring – The miso marinade is full of sugar and will char slightly. This is perfectly normal and adds to the flavour. By cooking on medium heat, it allows the fish to cook through without burning the outside.
- Storage – While it’s best eaten fresh, it’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. You can eat it cold in a bento box, on a sushi bowl or heat it up in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.
FAQs
Start with a good base, such as sushi rice, coconut rice or brown rice. Then add your favourite sides. We love charred greens such as broccolini, bok choy and a sprinkle of freshly chopped green onion / spring onion. It also goes well with a wafu salad for a light lunch.
The best way to tell if your salmon is cooked is to look how the meat changes colour – it will go from an almost translucent orange, then once cooked it should be more of a pale pink orange inside and completely opaque.
A good tip we go by is to actually watch it cook up to around the halfway mark of the salmon steak before we flip it when we first pop it in the pan. Then we know the heat has reached the middle!
For the perfect tender salmon every time – it’s all about two things:
– Uniform Sizes – Make sure your salmon pieces are as close to the same size as possible. Flatter, wider pieces will cook quicker as there is more surface area on the pan, whereas skinny, taller salmon steaks may need a little longer for the heat to reach right up to the middle.
– Pan Heat – We mention it in the method, and we’ll say it again – don’t have your pan too hot. Lower heat gives the meat time to properly cook through, without over OR undercooking it, and it won’t burn your marinade.
Variations
- Garnish – Top with fresh or toasted sesame seeds.
- Cooking Method – Broil / grill instead. Transfer the marinated salmon fillets onto a baking tray and place into the middle of the oven (so it doesn’t burn the marinade). Cook both sides for 4-5 minutes. To check if it’s done, you can see if the salmon flakes easy but remains moist.
- Swap the Protein – Go tofu steaks to make it vegan, or switch things up and use chicken thighs or pork steaks.
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Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets 500 g / 1 lb – skin on
- 2 tbsp red miso
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the red miso, mirin, cooking sake, soy sauce and sugar. Mix until combined.
- In a large bowl, place in the salmon fillets and the miso marinade. Coat well, cover then pop in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- To cook, heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Pour in your vegetable oil, then coat the pan using a brush or paper towel. Carefully pick up each salmon fillet, and place them skin side down on the pan.
- Note: The miso marinade is full of sugar and will char, making it look burnt in areas. This is perfectly normal and adds to the flavour. By cooking on medium heat, it allows the fish to cook through without actually burning the outside.
- Leave the salmon on the skin side for 2-3 minutes, before laying them on the side to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat this, cooking the top and other side of the salmon for the same amount of time, then remove from the pan.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Charring – The miso marinade is full of sugar and will char slightly. This is perfectly normal and adds to the flavour. By cooking on medium heat, it allows the fish to cook through without burning the outside.
- Storage – While it’s best eaten fresh, it’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. You can eat it cold in a bento box, on a sushi bowl or heat it up in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.
- Garnish – Top with fresh or toasted sesame seeds.
- Swap the Protein – Go tofu steaks to make it vegan, or switch things up and use chicken thighs or pork steaks.
- Cooking Method – Broil / grill instead. Transfer the marinated salmon fillets onto a baking tray and place into the middle of the oven (so it doesn’t burn the marinade). Cook both sides for 4-5 minutes. To check if it’s done, you can see if the salmon flakes easy but remains moist.
Nutrition
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