Salmon is fast and easy to prepare. Seasoned with a little salt and pepper, a salmon steak will cook in minutes under a broiler or on your grill. But why stop with just salt and pepper? You can add an exotic flavor to salmon that will leave your dinner guests clamoring for the secret ingredient. Prepare a simple marinade using miso and a little rice wine. Let the fish baste in the marinade for the day, and you can cook it up in just a few minutes for dinner.
Using miso as an ingredient has found increasing popularity in the West in recent years. Miso is a Japanese seasoning that has been used in Japanese cuisine for well over a thousand years. Miso can be used to flavor soups stocks, marinade meats, and to season stews. Miso also makes a great seasoning or marinade for salmon or halibut steaks. Just about any boneless fish will work, like cod, slate cod, tilapia, or orange roughy.
Miso can be found as a paste in the international aisle at most grocery stores in the United States. It is also commonly found in Asian markets. It either comes in a glass jar, or in a plastic bag. Once opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Miso can also be stored in the freezer for an extended period of time.
Miso is made by fermenting either barley or rice with soybeans and a fungus called kojikin. Other grains that may be used in the fermentation process include various types of rye, buckwheat, and millet. The flavor of miso will vary depending on the proportion of ingredients used. Miso is generally salty to the taste.
Recipe for Bake Salmon and Miso
Ingredients:
2 Salmon Steaks
12 oz Miso Paste
3 Tbs or mirin (Sweet rice wine)
2 Tbs Rice wine
2 Tbs Sugar
1 small lemon
A dash of salt
Preparation:
Prepare your salmon fillets or steaks be removing them from the package and washing. Lightly salt the fish. Mix the mirin, miso and rice wine along the the sugar. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water. It will depend on the type of miso that you are using.
Place the marinade over the fish. The fish can stay in the marinade from a few minutes, or for the entire day. The longer it stays in the marinade, the more flavor will work into the salmon.
When you are ready to cook, remove the salmon from the marinade and place on a broiling pan. Broil the fish in the oven with the temperature set at 350 to 400 degrees F, or 175 to 205 degrees C. The fish will only take about 5 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on it so that it does not burn.
If you are not sure if the fish is done, take a chopstick or a fork and push it into the thickest part of the fillet. The fork or chopstick should pass through easily.
When the fish is ready, remove from the oven and squeeze some lemon on top if the fillets.
You can also cook the salmon fillet on the grill. Place the steaks skin side down on a well oiled and clean grill. Cook on medium heat until it is cooked through. Do not move or try to flip the salmon. It is likely to stick on the surface and fall apart if you move it around. Simply let it cook through and remove with a flat spatula when it is done.
Accompany this salmon dish with a glass of white wine, string beans seared with garlic, along with some steamed rice.
