So technically this is a continuation of my last story about Bok Choy. Well, I guess I’m not continuing the story but I did want to tell you how to make a delicious, miso-glazed salmon to eat with my last blog’s recipe.
Miso-whaaat? Is that the exclamation some of you are making right now? Are you going to glaze over this post and never look at it again. (That would make me sad) I normally try to write my posts so that the ingredients are accessible at your local market. But this week, it might not be as easy but the search for the ingredients will be worth it in the end! (Most grocery stores carry my special ingredients but just in case they don’t..this is a great excuse to pop into an Asian specialty store.)
The three ingredients you need to find are miso paste, Mirin and rice wine vinegar. Miso paste is a concentrated fermented bean paste. It is a little salty but like most types of seasonings, there are many varieties available. I think the flavor is almost indescribable or maybe over-describable (is that a word?). When I eat it, every bud on my tongue tastes something different. It encompasses savory, salty, sweet and that Earthy flavor you love in Asian cooking. (I’ll do a post on the “earthiness” of Asian foods…another cliffhanger!)
The other ingredient you may not have in your pantry is Mirin. It is a rice wine similar to Japanese sake but with a much lower (waaaaay lower) alcohol percentage. It is a little sweet but it compliments the miso nicely.
The last thing on your shopping list is going to be rice wine vinegar. Essentially without going into the whole process, rice wine vinegar is just rice wine that has gone that extra step to turn an alcohol into an acid. When alcohol is exposed to air it will naturally ferment. The food industry has a few catalysts up their sleeves to speed up the process. (This is where the Japanese saying “A watched bottle of rice wine won’t ferment” came from.)
PLEEEEEASE don’t “glaze” over this recipe; once you stock your pantry, the recipe is easy!! (Try AsianfoodGrocer.com if your local store doesn’t carry the ingredients. They have great products, prices and a nice shipping rate.)
Miso glazed salmon
Ingredients
2 6-ounce salmon filets (I would take the skin off because it doesn’t get crispy with this cooking method)
1/3 cup white miso paste
2 Tb Mirin
2 Tb rice wine vinegar
1 tsp ginger, fresh
1 tsp sesame oil
1 packet Chinese hot mustard (If you don’t have one floating on the door of your fridge, 1 tsp of hot mustard should do the trick…but I know you have one!)
Directions
In a small bowl, mix miso paste, mirin, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sesame oil and hot mustard.
Spread it all over the fish and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven’s broiler. Place the salmon on a nonstick baking sheet. Make sure the paste mixture is smoothed evenly over the top. There may be some excess that you don’t leave on there and that is okay.
Broil for 8-10 minutes.
Serve on top of bok choy recipe from earlier this week!!!
I would be lying if I didn’t say I adore Japanese flavors so this dish won me over to the point I was licking my plate. (I am a lady so I used my finger and not my tongue.)
For my smaller town readers, I urge you to try this at home. The Asian ingredients are non-perishable so your local store may be willing to start stocking them if you make a request. (Or try peer pressure and tell them all the cool stores carry miso!)
