Miso Marinated Salmon
The miso marinated black cod dish at Nobu is no longer a secret. You can order it at most local Japanese restaurants, and can easily make it at home. It’s silky, intense, and melt in your mouth delicious, not something I say often about fish. But although black cod (also known as sablefish) is not on the endangered list, it is fairly expensive (close to $20/pound) and can be hard to find. This week, I decided to try the marinade on a pretty piece of wild salmon this week to see if it would be as magical.
Whenever I walk in to Whole Foods to buy some protein for the week, I stroll by the fish counter to see what tempts me. It’s as close as I can get to the memory of walking through an outdoor Paris market with my mom and haggling with the fish monger. The smells are less overpowering and there is no negotiation, but it’s still possible to fall in love with a gorgeous wild-caught piece of fish and bring it home triumphantly. I don’t buy farmed salmon, it just makes me nervous and tastes bland. How about you?
The miso marinated salmon was really easy to execute, and the marinade completely transformed a boring salmon dinner. The dish wasn’t cloyingly sweet and overpowering like a piece of salmon smothered in teriyaki sauce can be. It had a nice crust with a sweet and savory miso taste.
We served it with broccolini and the bracing freshness of the vegetable was a great complement to the strong umami of the miso. I am somewhat obsessed with umami, the fifth taste that can most simply be described as intense savoriness. It’s that deeply satisfying flavor that fills your mouth in a rich mushroom sauce. I wish I’d had some mushrooms to saute with some shallots and butter to punch up the umami notes of this dish even further.
Miso Marinated Salmon
This lovely marinade creates an addictive flavor and is easy to throw together.
Ingredients
- 1 Gorgeous Salmon Filet, ½ pound to 1 pound, sliced into individual pieces
- 3 Tablespoons mirin
- 3 Tablespoons sake
- ½ Cup yellow or white miso paste
- ⅓ Cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the Mirin, Sake, Miso, Brown sugar, and Maple Syrup. Blend and then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes to disolve the miso paste. Add a little water if the miso paste remains very chunky after five minutes.
- Cool the mixture.
- Pour the cooled marinade over the salmon, making sure every inch is covered, and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the salmon in an oven-safe dish for 10 minutes. We like our salmon with a little redness inside, medium-rare if you can call a fish that. If you like your salmon pale pink and flaky throughout, cook it for 12 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Alternatively, this would be great cold on a salad.