Miso Marinated Side of Salmon
Whole side of salmon marinated for a minimum of 1 day, but preferably 3 days, in a remarkable combination of miso, mirin, sugar and sake and then quickly caramelised on the hob and finished in the oven. Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cooking sake
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 160g/ ½ cup white miso paste or shiro miso
- 40g/3½ tablespoons caster sugar
- side of salmon
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided - to cook
Garnish:
- sesame seeds
- shredded spring onions
- chopped coriander
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Make the marinade: measure the sake and mirin into the saucepan and bring to the boil over a moderately hot temperature. Simmer for 20 – 30 seconds to boil some of the alcohol off.
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Add the miso paste and sugar and mix thoroughly using a balloon whisk.
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Continue to cook over a moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved.
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Simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring, to allow the sugar to slightly caramelise.
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Leave to completely cool before marinating the fish.
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Marinate the salmon: lay out some cling film large enough to wrap the whole side of salmon in.
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In the middle of the cling film, spread out just under half of the marinade to roughly the same size as the fillet.
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Sit the fillet, skin side down, on the marinade.
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Use the remaining marinade to cover the top of the salmon.
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Wrap the salmon in the cling film ensuring the whole fillet is completely covered.
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Refrigerate, ideally for 3 days, but 1 day will do if you absolutely have to!
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Cook the salmon: Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
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Unwrap the salmon and gently wipe off the marinade – do not wash it off.
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Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in your largest frying pan over a high heat. You are not cooking the salmon in the frying pan merely lightly caramelising the surface of the flesh side of the salmon.
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Place the salmon, flesh side down in the hot pan and cook for around a minute until lightly browned all over. Press down with a spatula to encourage speedy browning. Keep an eye on it; it can burn quickly.
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Unless you have a huge pan, you will need to move your salmon in the pan to ensure the whole fillet is lightly browned.
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Lightly oil a baking tray, large enough to fit the whole fillet, with the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Transfer the salmon, skin side down, to the tray.
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Cook in a pre-heated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
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Garnish: garnish the salmon with shredded spring onion, chopped coriander or parsley and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
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To serve: delicious served with sticky rice and a salad or green vegetables of your choice dressed with a miso or soy salad dressing
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons and cups
- saucepan, balloon whisk and wooden spoon
- cling film
- large frying pan and spatula
- baking tray
- chopping board and knife
Don't like cling film?
If you would prefer not to use cling film, you could use a glass dish instead. The advantage of the cling film is that you reduce the potential growth of bacteria present in the air. It also takes less space in the fridge!
Individual Fillets
You can replace the side of salmon with individual fillets if you prefer. Prepare, marinate and cook in exactly the same way as the side of salmon, but cook for less time in the oven. After caramelising the flesh side of the salmon, cook in the oven for around 10 minutes or until cooked to your liking. You can cook them entirely on the hob, but because the marinade contains a lot of sugar, it burns easily - caramelising on the hob and then finishing in the oven is a far easier way to cook the fish and they are far less likely to burn.