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Prepare to be amazed by this miso salmon! The savory glaze is the perfect accent for this broiled fish and makes an easy dinner.
Here’s an impressive dinner idea that’s simple and flavor-packed Miso Salmon! Miso makes kitchen magic, adding a developed savory flavor to everything it touches. Here it features in a miso glaze that’s so punchy, you’ll want to brush a glossy swipe onto just about everything. Brush it on a tender fillet of salmon before and after broiling, and it’s absolutely stunning. In fact, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from taking bites!
What’s in miso glaze?
The secret to miso salmon is this tasty miso glaze. It works on about anything, like any type of fish (like tuna or cod) or sauteed vegetables. The star is miso, a Japanese fermented soybean paste that’s full of nutrients and salty flavor. This glaze comes together in just a few minutes and uses only 5 ingredients (plus salt). Once you whisk together the ingredients, there may still be some chunks of miso that do not dissolve: that’s ok! Just try to get it as smooth as you can. Here’s what you need for the miso glaze:
- Miso: We like the flavor of yellow or light miso for this recipe.
- Soy sauce: Substitute tamari or coconut aminos as necessary.
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar: Substitute maple syrup or honey if you like.
- Sriracha hot sauce
- Salt
Types of miso
Miso is a Japanese fermented soybean paste that’s full of nutrients and salty flavor. It’s known for its intense savory notes, otherwise known as umami: the fifth flavor. You can find miso in the international foods aisle near the Japanese ingredients. There are many different types of miso, and they all taste different. We recommend using white or yellow miso for this miso salmon recipe, which might be labeled as “light miso” at the store.
- White miso (Shiro miso): This variety has a mild, more delicate flavor and less salt than darker miso.
- Yellow miso: This type is fermented a little longer than white miso and has a mild, lightly sweet flavor.
- Red or dark miso: These types are fermented longer and have a very strong flavor that can overwhelm a dish if it’s not customized for them. We don’t recommend using either type here.
Buy a high quality piece of salmon
The other part of this miso salmon recipe that’s important: finding a great piece of salmon! It tastes best with a high quality of fish. We splurged and used King salmon for this one, and it came out beautifully tender and juicy. But this isn’t always in budget, and it tastes great with a nice piece of Coho or Atlantic salmon too. Here are some pointers one how to buy the best salmon:
- 1 to 1 1/2-inch thick fillets are good for this recipe, which might be labeled “center cut” at the store.
- Fresh salmon is best. You can find good frozen salmon, too. But for the very best quality, find fresh fish from your local seafood counter.
- Buy wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.
- Coho is a good choice. We like Coho salmon for its mild flavor; it’s a good mid-priced option. King salmon tastes incredible, but it’s more of a splurge. Atlantic salmon is often farmed salmon; try to research its origin before buying.
Tips for broiling miso salmon
There are lots of ways to cook salmon. For this miso salmon recipe, we chose broiled salmon because it is quick and easy! It also results in a crispy top, which is our favorite texture for this fish. Here are a few tips for broiling:
- Let the salmon come to room temperature, or brine it (lower quality salmon). It’s important to let the salmon come to room temperature before broiling it so it cooks evenly. If you’re using lower quality salmon, you may want to brine it during this time to reduce the white stuff (albumin). Go to Step 1 of this Broiled Salmon recipe.
- Broilers vary, so watch the cook time carefully! The exact timing for this broiled salmon depends on your specific broiler and the thickness of the fish. It will be different every time: so watch closely. Estimate 4 to 5 minutes for very thin salmon or 7 to 10 minutes for 1-inch thick salmon. A food thermometer is nice for judging when the salmon is done.
- Most broilers are about 3 to 5 inches from the heating element. If yours is closer, take care and watch the salmon during the cook time.
Other ways to cook the fish
You can choose any salmon cooking method you like for this miso salmon recipe; the only caveat is when to add the glaze. Here are a few other options with notes on how to adapt them:
- Pan Seared Salmon: Paint on a bit of the glaze when you flip the salmon to skin side down, then add a little more after it’s out of the pan.
- Oven Baked Salmon: Use the glaze in the same way as broiling!
- Grilled Salmon or Grilled Salmon in Foil: Paint the glaze on right before adding the fillets to the grill, then paint with more glaze after grilling.
Sides to serve with miso salmon
What to serve with miso salmon to make it into an easy dinner? There are so many options! Here are some of our favorite sides for salmon:
- Edamame: Try 5-Minute Shelled Edamame or Easy Edamame.
- Rice or quinoa: Try Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa, Lemon Rice, bright green Jade Rice, or Jasmine Rice.
- Mixed vegetables: Add colorful Ultimate Sauteed Vegetables.
- Brussels sprouts: These Spicy Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, or Roasted Brussels Sprouts would be fantastic.
- Noodles: Add a side of Soba Noodles with sesame marinade, or try Garlic Butter Noodles.
This miso salmon recipe is…
Pescatarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
PrintEasy Miso Salmon
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Prepare to be amazed by this miso salmon! The savory glaze is the perfect accent for this broiled fish and makes an easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds high quality skin-on salmon fillets, wild caught if possible
- 2 tablespoons light or yellow miso
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or maple syrup)
- ¼ teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional garnish: Sliced green onions, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Let salmon rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the miso glaze: Whisk the miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, Sriracha and kosher salt together in a small bowl until smooth (the miso may have a few lumps depending on its texture, which is okay).
- Preheat the broiler to high. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. Pat each piece of salmon dry and place it on the foil skin side down. Brush salmon liberally with the glaze (1 to 2 tablespoons).
- Broil about 4 to 5 minutes for very thin salmon or 7 to 10 minutes for 1-inch thick salmon, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130F in the center). Brush with more of the glaze and serve.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Broiled
- Cuisine: Asian inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: Miso salmon
Best salmon recipes
Salmon is one of the best healthy dinner ideas! Here are some more salmon recipes to add to your repertoire:
- Sear up some flavorful Blackened Salmon, Maple Glazed Salmon or Cajun Salmon
- Bake up Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus
- Make zingy Lemon Garlic Salmon with lemon butter sauce, or
- Mix up a fresh and delicious Smoked Salmon Salad
- Pat it into tasty Classic Salmon Burgers or Easy Salmon Cakes with tartar sauce
- Add a crunchy topping with easy and classy Pistachio Crusted Salmon or Pecan Crusted Salmon
- Top it with bright green sauce for Pesto Salmon
- Add zingy lemon caper sauce for Salmon with Capers
- Cover it in creamy dill sauce for Lemon Dill Salmon
- Make a tasty Salmon Bowl drizzled with tahini sauce or miso sauce
Can’t wait to try this one. Always have a hard time finding a way to cook salmon that doesn’t taste fishy (and keep trying to consume it for it’s health benefits). Will definitely try the recommended Coho salmon + the strong Asian-style flavors will be perfect!
Great! Make sure to check for sales at the fish counter rather than frozen. That’s where we usually find the best salmon.
Loved this easy recipe! My family tends not to be big fans of miso, but everyone here enjoyed this salmon. It’s great over rice with some broccoli on the side. Definitely 5 stars!
How close to the broiler does it need to be ? I have three levels.
I would do the furthest level.
Just wanted point out that this recipe isn’t gluten free unless you use gluten free soy sauce.
Wonderfully easy and tasty recipe. Yum! Will be making this again and again.
★★★★★
This was a bit too salty for me. Soy sauce already has enough saltiness and doesn’t need extra salt to be added for me. Also maybe swap olive oil for vegetable oil.
★★
Super yummy!!
★★★★★
Delicious flavor with salmon! I’ve been baking my salmon for years and never thought to broil- turned out so well!
★★★★★
I just made this and holy moly it was amazing!
★★★★★
Wow it amazing recipe it’s Sweet & sour so amazing
My partner and I love this glaze recipe! We make half the recipe and use it on 2 frozen salmon filets from Whole Foods – they sell individually sealed filets, which I think makes a difference for freshness and longevity. This is a go-to weeknight dinner for us with rice and some broccoli or kale made in the air fryer.
★★★★★
Black pepper is listed in the ingredients, but not mentioned in the instructions. When do you add it?
That was a typo and we have updated the recipe. Thank you so much!
I just searched the internet for Miso-Sriracha salmon, and boy am I happy to have found this recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for: savory, sweet, a bit spicy…so much more delicious than the sum of its parts. Served it w/ braised kale & white beans and a side of asparagus, but next time will do a carb so the extra bit of sauce can get a bit drizzly on brown rice or orzo.
I started by broiling but, after the sauce started to burn on the foil I turned the oven down to 400* for the remaining 3 or 4 minutes and moved the cookie sheet down to the next rack and it cooked just perfectly.
Terrific recipe. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed!