Miso Marinated Salmon

The marinade does heavy lifting here. It pulls the fishiness back and loads in umami. An hour is enough; overnight is better if you plan ahead. Under the broiler it goes dark and lacquered fast, so you have to pay attention, but that's really the only part that requires you. Have an instant read thermometer on hand. We eat with medium grain rice, veggies, and sliced avocado.

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 3 tbsp shiro or red miso
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• White pepper, to taste

Optional glaze (if serving as a sauce):

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp cornstarch

For the bowl:

• 2 salmon fillets
• Cooked rice
• Vegetables of your choice
• Chili crunch

Mise en Place

• Whisk together all marinade ingredients, mashing the miso with a fork first until fully incorporated
• Submerge salmon in marinade, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight
• Line a baking sheet with foil; spray if you want the skin to release
• If making the glaze, measure out the soy, water, and cornstarch

Instructions

1. Pull the salmon from the marinade and wipe it down. The sugars from the sake, mirin, and sugar will scorch under the broiler if you don't.
2. Set the wiped fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Dust lightly with white pepper.
3. Set the oven to broil. Position one rack close to the broiler, one down low.
4. Broil until cooked through, 125–130°F internal for salmon. Watch it. When it starts to color and threatens to burn, drop the pan to the lower rack.
5. Serve over rice with vegetables. Spoon chili crunch generously over the top.

If making the glaze:

1. Combine soy sauce and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook another 3 minutes until thickened. Spoon over the finished fish.

Notes

• The marinade is basically teriyaki with miso thrown in. Soy, mirin, sake in equal parts is the backbone, which means the leftover marinade is most of the way to a teriyaki sauce already. If you're making the glaze, pull from the excess and add the cornstarch slurry rather than starting from scratch.
• Wiping the fish down before broiling isn't optional if you care about the surface. The sugars go from caramelized to burnt fast under a broiler.
• If you're not fussed about the skin sticking, let it stick. Makes pulling the flesh clean with a fish turner easier.
• Shiro (white) miso is milder and sweeter. Red miso is funkier and more aggressive. Both work.