Sweet and savory miso salmon takes just 8 minutes to cook under the broiler, making it an easy dinner win any night of the week.
Broiled Salmon Cooks Lightning Fast But Stays Super Flaky
Quick enough to make on busy weeknights, but impressive enough to serve to guests, this simple miso glazed salmon recipe is one to keep tucked up your sleeve no matter the season.
I tested and re-tested this simple recipe and discovered a few tips I’m sharing below that make it pretty much foolproof.
White miso takes center stage in the 5-ingredient marinade, its mellow, salty flavor the perfect complement to the salmon. As a bonus, the marinade also acts as the glaze that caramelizes beautifully under the broiler and gives the salmon those crispy edges everyone loves.
This is a flexible recipe that can be served with steamed rice and veggies, added to meal prep grain bowls, or flaked over a bed of leafy greens for a Japanese-inspired salad.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Use yellow or white miso for their milder flavor. White miso is made from fermented rice and soybeans and has a noticeably sweeter flavor than regular miso, whereas yellow miso is made from soybeans and barley and is a tad earthier in flavor. Both work equally well in this recipe, so use what you’ve got.
Marinate the salmon to lock in moisture and flavor. Ideally, you’d submerge the salmon in the miso marinade for at least 4 hours before broiling. This seasons and flavors the salmon from the inside out and helps it retain moisture as it cooks under the broiler.
Broil, don’t bake! Broiling salmon takes mere minutes, which is a bonus on busy evenings. Plus, the intense heat caramelizes the miso glaze and crisps up the outside of the salmon while the inside stays tender and flaky.
What You’ll Need for the Marinade
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Salmon — Skin-on king, chinook, coho, or sockeye salmon are your best choices. Look for filets that are a good inch thick; thinner salmon filets are more prone to drying out under the broiler.
- Miso — I suggest using white or yellow miso paste, which are sweeter and more delicately flavored than regular miso. If you don’t usually cook with miso, you can put the leftovers to good use in other recipes, like this miso roasted squash and miso cod.
- Sake — This Japanese rice wine is packed with umami flavor. It helps remove some of the fishy flavor of the salmon so the miso can really shine.
- Mirin — Is a little sweeter than sake and should be easy to find at any major grocery store. The mirin balances out the miso and also tenderizes the salmon.
- Sugar — Sweetens the miso marinade and encourages caramelization when cooked.
- Sesame oil — Just ½ teaspoon adds a richly nutty flavor to the marinade.
Heidi’s Tip: Most salmon filets have a thin edge at one end that tends to burn when broiled with miso. To avoid this, trim those ends before placing them in the marinade so it cooks evenly.
How to Make Miso Salmon in 3 Steps
- Make the miso marinade. Simply whisk together the miso, mirin, sake, sugar, and sesame oil.
- Marinate the salmon for up to 24 hours. I like to marinate the salmon in a shallow baking dish so that as much of the flesh is exposed to the marinade as possible.
Heidi’s Tip: Lightly pat the salmon filets with a clean paper towel to remove all of the excess marinade. The marinade is prone to burning, but the miso flavor will have soaked deep into the salmon by this point.
- Broil the salmon. I suggest placing your oven rack in the upper one-third of the oven, about 7 inches from the broiler (cook the salmon too close to the broiler and it will burn!). The salmon needs to be broiled for just to 8 minutes, but keep a close eye on it to make sure the glaze doesn’t darken too much.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Miso Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup yellow or white miso
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 6-ounce salmon filets with skin on , about 1-inch thick
- canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup white or yellow miso, with 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons sake, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil.
- Prep the salmon. Run your fingers across 4 6-ounce salmon filets and remove any bones. So that the salmon cooks evenly, trim off any thin parts of the fillets.
- Combine the salmon and miso marinade. Place the salmon filets in a small baking dish and spoon the marinade over the fish, coating each side. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to 24 hours.
- Broil the salmon. Place the oven rack in the top ⅓ of the oven, about 7 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven to 550°F, or set to Broil. Place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and lightly brush it with oil. Place the salmon skin-side down on the foil, wiping off all excess miso marinade so it doesn't burn. Broil for 8-10 minutes or until the thickest part of the salmon is 120°F for medium-rare or 130°F for medium. Serve with slivered green onion or toasted sesame seeds as garnish.
Nutrition
FAQs
Technically yes, but regular miso’s lengthier fermentation time gives it a much deeper, saltier, and overall more powerful flavor. I fear it would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the salmon and the other ingredients in the marinade.
I suggest using an instant read thermometer to check the doneness of the salmon. 120ºF is medium-rare and 130ºF is medium.
Just like a good steak, you don’t want to cook salmon past medium or else it won’t be as juicy and flaky.
The key is to pat the salmon dry to remove all of the excess marinade before broiling it. Failure to do so will result in burnt edges.
What to Serve With Miso Salmon
- Soups and Appetizers — Wonton Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, Asian-Inspired Cheese Board
- Salads — Korean Cucumber Salad, Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Sides — White Rice, Fried Rice, Sesame Broccoli, Asian Slaw, Sesame Soba Noodles
Storage Tips
Leftover salmon will last up to 5 days in the fridge and can be enjoyed cold or warm in salads, wraps, stir-fries, and grain bowls.
More Quick Salmon Recipes
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