Miso Salmon • Two Purple Figs

Miso Salmon is a rich flavored, slightly sweet, salty, and tasty salmon recipe that’s ready in 15 mins! This is one of our favorite ways to make a fancy fish dinner, and it’s easier than ever! You need just a handful of ingredients and an oven. Read along for more on elevating your salmon game with this rich miso marinade.

This Miso salmon is truly one of those go to dinners that you’ll be making on repeat. It has a sweet savory miso infused flavor, and it’s inspired by the famous Nobu Miso Cod. It is broiled in 10 minutes for succulent and juicy salmon with a golden caramel crust.

Salmon is always the king of fish for us. Our family loves it, and we have endless ways to flavor and cook it. Some of our Asian inspired Salmon recipes include Sweet Chili Salmon and Maple Glazed Salmon. Other must try recipes are Honey Glazed Salmon and Air Fryer Salmon Bites.

Why You’ll Love Miso Salmon

• It’s succulent and juicy salmon!
• This recipe is broiled and so the fish cooks in 10-12 minutes only.
• Inspired by the rich, flavorful and viral Nobu Miso Cod.
• The miso marinade has an umami taste, along with some soy sauce and sugar, it’s the ultimate richness.
• Salmon is a great choice for healthy dinners. It’s loaded with omega-3 and good fats.
• This recipe pairs with so many side dishes.
• So much more affordable  than if you ordered it at a restaurant, and it’s even better!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Salmon Fillets. You can use Sockeye Salmon  for this recipe, or Atlantic. Whichever type you prefer and use the most. If using frozen, make sure to defrost the fish overnight in the fridge ahead of time. We highly recommend using SKIN ON salmon for this recipe! It keeps the fish juicy and moist when broiling. You don’t have to eat the skin, but best to cook it with the skin on.
• Miso Paste. As mentioned in the Miso Cod recipe, use Saikyo miso if you find it. It’s sweeter and tastier and in that case you can skip the brown sugar. Otherwise we use organic white miso paste always, and add in the brown sugar. Miso is fermented soybean paste, so it’s highly recommended to buy organic.
• Soy Sauce. The saltiness comes from here! Salty and umami soy sauce are great with salmon, and always use low sodium soy sauce when possible.
• Rice Vinegar. Classically it’s made using sake and mirin, but we love the rice vinegar more here. You can use apple cider vinegar as a substitute too.
• Brown Sugar. The sweetness that’s much needed with all those other flavors.
• Sesame Seeds. The final garnish to the salmon that adds crunch and taste. Use white sesame primarily. but you can also add a mix of white and black sesame as we did here. We love using toasted white sesame in place of regular sesame seeds as they are tastier.
• Green Onions. A great garnish and flavor booster as well to the miso salmon recipe.

How to Make Miso Salmon

Make the Miso Marinade

1. You’ll start by mixing in all the ingredients for the miso marinade in a bowl. That includes the miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and optionally sesame oil.
2. Whisk those well until smooth, and it’s ready at this point.

Marinate The Salmon

1. Pat dry the salmon fillets before spreading the marinade over them. This helps the marinade stick well and infuse the fish.
2. Spread the miso marinade over the salmon fillets on both sides. Let the salmon marinate anywhere between 5 minutes and up to 6 hours.

Cooking the Miso Salmon

1. While you can roast, grill or pan sear the miso salmon, we prefer broiling it. Broiling creates a beautiful char on the fish without having to deal with the marinade sticking to the pan or grill. Since no flipping is required, no sticking will happen.
2. Broiling is a fast, high energy cooking method that cooks the fish all the way through in minutes. You’ll get a gorgeous crust and color on the fish, and you don’t need to flip the fillets.
3. The result is juicy and moist salmon that’s succulent with a char on top.
4. To broil the miso salon, make sure you line the baking sheet with foil and not parchment paper, as it may burn.
5. Set the rack at about 9 inches away from the heating element.
6. Preheat the broiler on high. Place the baking sheet on the rack and broil for 8-12 minutes. This depends on the thickness of the salmon fillets you’re using.
7. One the miso salmon is ready, remove it from the baking sheet. Sprinkle some green onions and sesame seeds on top. We love serving it with some lime wedges too.
   

Tips for Miso Salmon

1. Choose the salmon of your choice. Use Sockeye Salmon  or Atlantic salmon, depending on your taste. If using frozen salmon, make sure you defrost it before marinating.
2. It’s best to cook the fish with skin on. You don’t have to eat the skin, but the skin preserves the fat and flavor.
3. When using miso paste, it’s highly recommended to buy organic as it’s made from fermented soybeans. If you have the opportunity to find Saikyo miso, use that. It’s sweeter and richer than regular miso. If not, just add the brown sugar in the recipe.
4. You can use mirin or sake in place of the vinegar. We have preferred the vinegar version far more, and we tried apple cider vinegar too. Both are great!
5. Before marinating the salmon, make sure to pat the fish dry. This will help the marinade to stick and infuse the fish more.
6. For Broiling, make sure you line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and not parchment paper. The paper will burn.
7. Also check the distance between the rack and the broiler heating element. You want the fish to be about 9 inches far from the heating element. Adjust the rack accordingly.
8. You can keep the miso marinade for upto 6 hours and eve 12. But we prefer just 10 minutes during which the oven is preheating. The marinade is strong enough to infuse the salmon and it will be super tasty!
9. Keep an eye on the fish as broiling cooks super fast. You’ll see the char and the fish should flake easily with a fork.
10. If you’re using a thermometer, you want the internal temperature to be around 140 degrees F.

What to Serve with Miso Salmon

Can You Marinate the Salmon Overnight?

While you can, we noticed that the salmon becomes too salty. So we prefer minimal marinade times, and the flavor is still rich and satisfying!

How do you know when the salmon is cooked?

If you have a meat thermometer, make sure the temperature is at 135 degrees F-140 degrees F. You can also use a fork test. If the fish flakes easily with a fork, then it’s ready.

How to Store Leftovers?

It’s best to keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply wrap in foil and air fry for 3-4 minutes at 350 degrees. Alternatively you can microwave the salmon, but we prefer not to.

Baking VS Broiling the Fish –which is better?

Broiling using an infra red direct heat which creates a perfect char and crust on the fish. It’s also super fast and efficient. You need to be close to the oven as the fish can trun from cooked to burnt in seconds.  We love broiling, however it’s not ideal for every type of fish.

Baking using dry air to circulate around the fish. This can slightly dry the surface, and takes longer in order to achieve a charred color. The fish cooks evenly here and takes a while so you don’t need to be extra vigilant.

How long do you broil salmon?

Salmon is best broiled between 8-12 minutes max depending on the thickness of your fish.

Which Fish is best for Miso marinades ?

You need a type of fillet on the higher side of fat. Something like Black Cod, Chilean Sea Bass and of course slamon.

What is Miso?

Miso is a Japanese condiment made of fermented soybeans. It’s used to add rich and umami flavors to food. It’s added to soups, salad dressings, marinades and more!

There are several types of miso such a white, red or dark. We prefer the white miso which is lighter in color and flavor. And we always buy organic miso.

Best Salmon Recipes

Maple Glazed Salmon
Sweet Chili Salmon
Salmon Bowl
Honey Glazed Salmon
Salmon Tacos
Grilled Salmon
Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce
Baked Salmon With Greek Dressing
Sushi Burrito
Salmon Tartare