Salmon miso-yaki, or miso marinated salmon, is one of our favorite meals. Whether used as onigiri filling, a bento item or simply eaten with a bowl of hot rice, salmon miso-yaki is a staple in our house. Its sweet and salty flavor go well with everything, and it’s really easy to make.
What you need
- Ingredients
- Salmon fillet or steak
- 1/2 cup miso (any kind)
- 1 Tbsp sake (optional)
What to do
Step 1 – Mix the miso and sake together. Place half of the miso mix in a flat, shallow container, spreading it evenly. Rinse the salmon fillets and pat dry, placing them flesh-side down into the miso mix.
Step 2 – Cover the fillets with the rest of the miso, spreading evenly. Seal container, place in the fridge and let it marinate. You can leave it anywhere from a few hours to a few days. I typically let mine marinate for 24 hours. The longer you let it go, the stronger and saltier it will be.
Step 3 – After it is finished marinating, scrape of any excess miso from the fish. You can either leave some of the miso on the fish or rinse it off entirely. I rinse it and pat it dry, simply for presentation purposes. The leftover miso can be used to season nabemono dishes or made into a sauce, but bear in mind that its flavor will not be as pronounced at this point.
Step 4 – Turn the oven on high. Place the fish, skin-side up, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. I bake the fish on a sheet of aluminum foil covering the baking sheet so there’s less cleanup. When the oven is hot, slide the fish in.
Step 5 – Check your fish after 10 minutes. If it isn’t done, check it again every five minutes. I like the skin to be slightly burned and bubbling, but you should experiment and find exactly what you like.
Variations
In addition to adding sake to the miso marinade, you can also add crushed garlic, ginger, chopped red chilis, mirin, lemon juice or any number or combination of flavorings. You can also use, in place of salmon; shrimp, scallops, cod, sole, trout, tuna… it’s totally up to you! I would really like to hear about any varients of this simple salmon miso-yaki recipe in the comments. And if you’ve tried this dish, let me know what you think!
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Black cod/butterfish is my favorite for this treatment, the thicker the fillet the better. My preference is to crisp the skin while still leaving the core of the fillet rare. The variation in texture and flavor is so exciting. With thin cuts, I usually end up broiling rather than baking.
Now that I have a ready supply of fresh makrud lime leaves, I’ll be experimenting with adding them to the marinade.
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I was wondering what is miso? I really want to make this but I don’t know what it is and where I can find it.
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Mathias Purtlebaugh Reply:
May 5th, 2011 at 11:04 am
I get mine from our local Japanese/Asian market, or I make it from scratch. I recommend doing a search for Asian markets in your area if you don’t want to go through all the work and waiting of making your own… If you are lacking in Asian culture in your area, check out http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/category/miso-paste-soup .
Miso is simply fermented soybean paste. It has a salty, savory, sometimes sweet flavor. It has a million applications, and we always keep several types on hand for different things.
Good luck!
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What kind of sake should I use (that is available in the US)? (I am a complete novice to sake, btw).
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Mathias Purtlebaugh Reply:
August 17th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
I don’t believe in buying low-quality “cooking sake”, simply because they usually add a bunch of crap to it to make it cheap. Try to use a sake that you would drink… something that tastes good. If you like a sweeter flavor, try to find a nigori sake… these will look cloudy and need to be refrigerated. I typically use a dry sake as it is the most flexible, taste-wise – the only one I will actively avoid is Gekkeikan; other than that, try some out! If it is good to drink, it is excellent to cook with. I rotate through and try new ones whenever I can, and you should do the same. Also, good tasting sake does not have to be prohibitively expensive. Buy one of the small bottles and give it a try before you invest in a full bottle.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
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Also, I asked my mom to buy me some fresh wild salmon when she got the chance – and she ended up freezing it =_= Is it okay to thaw the fish in the fridge overnight and then proceed?
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Mathias Purtlebaugh Reply:
August 17th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
It is absolutely fine to use pre-frozen fish for this recipe. Fresh is always better, of course, but I often buy several pieces of salmon if it is on sale and freeze them. As long as it isn’t freezer-burned it should be fine.
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