Miso Salmon

• servings: 2 servings
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 skin-on salmon fillets (¾ lb, 340 g) ¾ 340

2 Tbsp miso (use any type of miso; I used Hikari Miso Organic White Miso)

1 Tbsp sake

1 Tbsp mirin

1 Tbsp soy sauce

¼ tsp roasted sesame oil

½ tsp toasted white and black sesame seeds

1 green onion/scallion (chopped)

Directions

Before You Start: Please note that this recipe requires a marination time of 1–2 hours.

Gather all the ingredients.

Check your 2 skin-on salmon fillets for scales and tiny bones. To check for bones, run your fingers along the flesh surface and sides to feel the hard tips of the bones and pull them out with fish boning tweezers. To check for scales, run your fingers back and forth across the skin and scrape the scales with the flat side of a knife to remove.

To Lightly Marinate

In a large bowl or flat tray, mix the marinade ingredients: 2 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and ¼ tsp roasted sesame oil.

Place the salmon in the bowl with the marinade, skin side up. Spoon the marinade on top and coat the salmon skin. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours (a thicker cut needs more time). Tip: This is a lightly seasoned miso fish (not miso-marinated fish like Black Cod), so I don’t recommend marinating the salmon overnight since it can get quite salty from the miso.

To Bake (all kinds of salmon)

About 20–30 minutes before you‘re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with a rack placed in the center position. For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Next, take the marinated salmon out of the refrigerator and remove any excess marinade completely from the fish; otherwise, the miso may burn during baking.

Place the salmon pieces skin side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you‘re using an oven probe, insert it into the thickest part of the salmon flesh.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and attach the probe (if using) to the oven. Bake the salmon until an internal temperature of 125–130°F* (52–54ºC) registers at the thickest part of the fillet, for roughly 18–20 minutes. You do not need to flip the salmon during baking. Our recommended baking time is 5 minutes per ½-inch (1.3 cm) thickness of salmon measured at the thickest part. Tip: If you don‘t have a probe, I highly recommend getting a Thermapen instant-read thermometer. *If you prefer medium rare, you can stop cooking at 120ºF (49ºC). Please note that the USDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F (63ºC); however, the remaining heat will continue to cook the salmon, resulting in overcooked fish.

To char (optional): You can broil the salmon to give it a nice char, if desired. Once the salmon reaches the desired internal temperature, remove the probe from the salmon and oven. Then, change the oven setting to Broil on High (550ºF/288ºC). Keep the oven rack placed in the center position, 9 inches (23 cm) away from the top heating element. Then, broil the salmon for 3 minutes or until the surface is blistered and browned a bit. Tip: When broiling, you don‘t control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the heating element and the surface of the food. It‘s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill.

To Broil (only for thin fillets under 1 inch or 2.5 cm)

Turn on the broiler on High (550ºF/288ºC) with a rack placed in the center position, 9 inches (23 cm) away from the top heating element. Next, take the marinated salmon out of the refrigerator and remove any excess marinade completely from the fish; otherwise, the miso may burn during broiling. Place the salmon pieces skin side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (parchment paper will burn). Broil the salmon until an internal temperature of 125–130°F* (52–54ºC) registers at the thickest part of the fillet, for roughly 10-13 minutes. You do not need to flip the salmon during baking. If you prefer medium rare, you can stop cooking at 120ºF (49ºC). Please note that the USDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F (63ºC); however, the remaining heat will continue to cook the salmon, resulting in overcooked fish.

To Serve

Top the Miso Salmon with ½ tsp toasted white and black sesame seeds and 1 green onion/scallion thinly sliced (both toppings are optional). Enjoy! I like to serve this salmon with Ginger Rice.

Optional: I always discard the marinade (that‘s why I try to use the least amount of marinade), but if you don‘t want to waste it or made too much, you can dilute the marinade with water and cook it for a few minutes. Serve it with the salmon or use it for other dishes.

To Store

You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

• Calories: 308 kcal
• Total Fat: 13 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 109 mg
• Sodium: 423 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 40 g