This Japanese Miso Salmon is 4ย ingredient magic at its best. A family recipe, this whole or side of salmon with a classic Japanese miso marinade is a stunning EASY centrepiece for a special occasion. I joke that Nobu, the worldโs most famous Japanese restaurant, stole my motherโs recipe. ๐
Growing up in the 80โs as a child in Australia, the food my mother made was not normal by Australian standards. I was that kid who was sent to school with sushi rolls and bento boxes, when all I wanted was Vegemiteย sandwiches (Australiaโs answer to Americaโs PB&J).
Little did I know โ I was ahead of the pack. Dining every night on food that is now โall the rageโ.
Ramen, sushi, karaage (Japanese fried chicken), tonkatsu (Japanese pork schnitzels), to name a few of the better known meals.
Our Christmasโ werenโt normal either. While most of my friends were enjoying traditional Christmas feasts ย of ham and turkey at home, we were dragged out for a beachside BBQ for something like this.
THIS being a Japanese Seafood BBQ feast. Looks good, no? ๐
Japanese seafood beachside BBQโs wereย something we used to do quite frequently. Most weekends,ย we wouldย head out to a beach with our portable weber. Our most frequented spot was Balmoral beachย which, back then, was relatively โundiscoveredโย butย today itโs one of the most expensive places to live in Sydney.
Weโd scavenge for sticks forย the BBQ while my parents went spear fishing.ย Seriously. Sydney-sidersย reading this wonโt believe it, but we used to catch octopus, abalone and fish atย Balmoral beach and eat it for lunch. You could NEVER do that now โ besides being illegal, all the marine life is gone! (Not because we ate it all, because of environmental changes!).
We fired up theย BBQ and cooked freshly caught fish along with other marinated meats my mother brought. The smell was so enticing that, I kid you not, passer byes would stop and ask what on earth we were cooking. Weโd give them a sample and (as a KID) I would think how weird it was that they would exclaim so enthusiastically about how AMAZING it was!
Thatโs me on the right there.ย Helping out with the BBQ!
So this Miso Marinated Side of Salmon Iโm sharing today is a very special family recipe. It reminds me of my Christmasโ growing up.ย Back then, I wasย envious of my friends sitting in a dining table with a ham centrepiece. But as an adult, while I LOVE ham and turkey, to me, a seafoodย spreadย like this is what I think of as a very special feast.
The miso marinade for this salmon is my mumโs recipe โ a very classic Japanese marinade. Itโs only got FOUR ingredients in it โ seriously!!! Miso, sugar,ย sake (Japanese rice wine) and mirin (Japanese sweet riceย wine). Just mix it together, slather it on, marinade then barbecue OR bake the salmon.
I know half the world is smack bang in the middle of winter, but for those of us in the southern hemisphere, we have summer Christmases!ย So rather than spending hours roasting a turkey, many Aussies will splurge on a seafood spread for Christmas Day.ย And this side of salmon is just about the easiest centrepiece that I can think of.
A seafood feast just screams of summer, doesnโt it? Beach, sun, summer fun! ๐
In case you are curious, here is a list of what you see in the seafood feast below, clockwiseย from the top left. ๐
Oysters with lemon wedges (PS You see how some of them are eaten? Thatโs because my MOTHER ate them before I finished shooting! BA HA HA!!!)
Barbecued Onigiri (Japanese rice balls with soy sauce. LOVE the charcoal flavour! Recipe below)
Miso Marinated Side of Salmon (barbecue or bake it)
Asian style coleslaw (I used myย Asian Vermicelli Noodle Salad recipe but left out the noodles)
Japanese pickled cucumbers (recipe below)
I mentioned above that I joke that Nobu stole my motherโs marinade recipe. Do you knowย the Nobu restaurants?ย Very expensive, very elite, and located in major cities around the world from New York to London, Dubai to Hong Kong, there is no doubt that Nobu isย theย most famous Japanese restaurant in the world.
And one of the signature dishes is the Nobu Miso Marinated Black Cod. I swear. Itโs my motherโs marinade recipe. ๐
โ Nagi x
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Japanese Miso Salmon Side (BBQ or bake)
Ingredients
- 1.6 โ 2.4 lb / 0.8 โ 1.2kg side of salmon , skin on (Note 1)
- Oil , for barbecue
Marinade
- 5 tbsp miso paste (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 2/3 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 2/3 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
Garnishes
- Sesame seeds
- Scallions/shallots , finely sliced
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Place the salmon skin side up on a work surface and slather with just under half the marinade.
- Turn the salmon so it is skin side down onto a large piece of cling wrap. Slather the remaining marinade on the flesh side.
- Wrap the salmon in cling wrap. Marinade for 24 to 48 hours.
- Scrape the marinade off (do not rinse with water) and leave the salmon to come to room temperature <- KEY for perfectly cooked salmon.
- Preheat barbecue plate side on MEDIUM LOW. Leave it to heat up for a good 10 to 15 minutes โ another tip for cooking salmon perfectly.
- Add oil just before cooking. Place the salmon on the BBQ skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes, then use two spatulas to turn it. Cook the flesh side for 2 โ 3 minutes or until caramelised, then flip it again so the skin side is down then transfer to a tray.
- Cover loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes before serving. It will continue cooking while resting.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and finely sliced shallots.
Recipe Notes:
6. This Miso Marinated Side of Salmon is a great centrepiece for a feast. Here is a list of the dishes you see in the feast.
a) Oysters with lemon wedgesb) Barbecued Onigiri โ recipe below
c) Asian Grilled Shrimp / Prawns
d) This Miso Marinated Side of Salmon
e) Asian style coleslaw (I used my Asian Vermicelli Noodle Salad recipe but left out the noodles)
f) Japanese pickled cucumbers (recipe below) 7. To make Onigiri, the rice balls you see in the feast: Place 2 cups of medium grain rice in a saucepan with 3 cups of water over medium high heat. Cover, bring to boil then turn down to medium low. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the liquid is just absorbed, then set aside to rest for 10 minutes. While the rice is still warm, measure out 1/2 cup of rice and use your hands to shape it into triangles (or other shape), pressing very firmly. Brush with soy sauce and cook on the barbecue until crispy, or you can even cook it on the stove. 8. To make the quick pickled cucumbers: Cut 3 cucumbers into triangle pieces and mix together with 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp soy sauce. Chill for 1 hour so the cucumber absorbs the flavour.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Thank you to Woolworths
When Woolworths approached me, asking if Iโd be interested in doing a Christmas recipe for them, I must admit I was not overly enthused about doing a ham or yet another turkey because I just shared one (this Genius Dry Brined Turkey) a couple of weeks ago for my American readers for Thanksgiving.
But then Woolworths explained that they didnโt want โjust another Christmas recipeโ, they wanted something that reminded me of my Christmases growing up.ย Now THAT got me super excited!!!
So thank you to Woolworths, for giving me this opportunity to share a family recipe. ๐
You can find all the ingredients for this recipeย at Woolworths,ย including the side of salmon! (I know,ย awesome, right?! No need to fight the insane crowds at the fish markets โ YAY!!!)
Woolworths are inviting families to share their favorite Christmas, food moments. The ones that โmake it famousโ with friends and family.
Share yours and tag it so I can see it!
#MakeYourChristmasFamous #recipetineats
Hi Nagi,
I have a whole ocean trout fillet (one side of a whole ocean trout originally 2.2kg) which I put in the freezer yesterday and would like to use your miso salmon recipe to cook it on the bbq.
Can you please tell me how long I should defrost the fillet for?
Also, at what stage should I put the marinade on the fillet?
Thanks Nagi!
Sam
Hi Sam! Iโm so thrilled that you want to use this recipe!!! ๐ I defrost is over 24 hours in the fridge. Fish doesnโt take that long to defrost, itโs quite long and thin compared to big hunks of meat! But the marinade on the fillet AFTER it has defrosted because the fish goes watery when it defrosts. Give it a pat down with paper towels before applying the marinade. I do hope you LOVE IT!!! N x
Thanks for your advice Nagi! I will give it a go. Canโt wait!!
Sam x
hey , just made this for a boozy pre- Christmas Asian lunch , it was fantastic as part of the main with the onigiri, cucumber thingy, a sth American salad (that somehow worked too) , starters of Miang Kham, fresh spring rolls, pork balls with lots of sauces. Yum thank you
HURRAH! Iโm so SO glad you enjoyed it Miriam! Means so much to me, being a family recipe! My mother will be stoked when she reads this!! N x
Hi this looks absolutely delicious!!
I was wondering if you have any suggestion as to anything i could use to replace the rice wine/rice wine vinegar as my partner is rice intolerant and this is something I am never sure of with a lot of recipes?
Thanks,
Charis
Hi Charis,
I just read your comment and Nagiโs reply. Sorry it took 3 months!
I think that you would be able to substitute rice wine with sherry, mirin with sweet sherry (or sherry with some sugar).I have never made this with sherry so I am not sure how taste will be different. In this recipe though, miso is the key ingredients for the marinade so you may not notice a huge difference in flavour.
You can use wine vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. You might find that wine vinegar has marginally sharper acidity.
Hi Charis! Unfortunately I donโt think you can make this recipe ๐ Both rice wine AND sake are made from rice! Iโm terribly sorry to disappoint ๐
Nagi, I love the recipe and the video! My family loves salmon and I have exhausted a ton of recipes and i made your recipe and it is a family favorite! Love your Mom in the video, making a resolution to do videos in 2016! You are inspiring!
Nagi, Nagi, Naaaagiiiii, these pictures look so amazing, I love the throw back pics of you too, such an amazing post, thank you for sharing all this!
Thanks Sara!!! Dug those out from the ARCHIVES!!! ๐
Wow, this looks amazing, Nagi! Love both the video and photos!
Thanks so much Sabrina!! N x
Hi, Nagi โ
What a beautiful family story and GREAT recipes for a splendid feast. THANK YOU for sharing both with us. Iโm on the hunt for salmon and plan to prepare the entire meal. So weโll be thinking of you and yours as we enjoy every morsel.
Thank you SO MUCH Judy!! Iโm so touched that you are planning to make this entire meal, really truly touched. ๐ N xx
I am always on the lookout for new salmon recipes. Delicious! Adorable family photos. I love to remind myself about my past.
Thank you so much Ilona!! I appreciate the lovely message! N x
I made this last night. I couldnโt wait for a good salmon to come out at the grocery store so instead I used it on cod which I had. It was tasty, especially considering how easy it was to make. Thank you for the recipe!
WOAH โ that was FAST!! Iโm so so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know ๐ And you know what? Mum makes this with cod too!! I love that you used the marinade on that! N x
Such an incredible Christmas spread Nagi!! And I love that this recipe has so many special memories attached โ those recipes are always the best ones. I love our NZ summer Christmases too โ we had a white Christmas last year when staying in Colorado with my Dadโs family, and it just wasnโt the same! Missed the warm weather, beaches, barbecues and outdoor Christmas dinner waaay too much. Will definitely be trying this salmon though! xx
Thank you so much Claudia! Ooh, I bet you have amazing summer Christmas spreads in NZ!!
Thanks for sharing your mumโs recipe, Nagi. And those photos are just too adorable! I have no problem having salmon for Christmas, especially when the marinade sounds this fantastic. I believe you canโt go wrong with miso in anything, but thatโs just me. ๐
Thank you so much Christine! Miso is such a fabulous marinade ingredient. ๐ Undiscovered gem!!
Miso is a regular item in my diet. I love the flavor and benefits, and hope people will use it more in their food. ๐ Nagi, I wrote you an email via your websiteโs Contact page. Did you get it? Let me know if thereโs another way to reach you. Thank you! ๐
I got it! I just replied ๐ N x
Itโs so fun to see Christmas from your childhood eyes and family customs. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely family story and pictures! I really enjoyed them. Your culture and place are so different from here. And your diet. But that Salmon looks fantastic! The video of your mom was great. Yes, she does deserve mention in the credits, Love that!
We have gloomy weather every Christmas here. I love the idea of sunny beach barbecue for Christmas. Bring it on!
Thank you Diane! Do you have a white Christmas?? If you do โ IโM the jealous one! Iโm yet to experience a true white Christmas!
Ohhh Nagi san! What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing the special family recipe and story. Everything is so familier, as I read the story, I nodded and laughed. My children did not like when I brought sushi for school break up party but hopefully they are now appreciating thier heritage Japanese background like you do:D. It was so funny to read Yumikosan asked credit for the video, bahaha. I would have said same thing. My daughter is in Japan enjoying all the yummy food there would have said โOMG mom itโs so you!โ.
Thank you so much Shihoko! Means so much to hear that from a fellow Japanese!! ๐
Beautiful recipe โ Perfect for the start of Spring. I look forward to making this.
Thank you so much Miller! Iโd love to hear what you think if you try it!! N x
I really enjoyed reading this post! My favorite parts were seeing the photos of you as a wee lass. #adorbs M x
ALL kids are CUTE. ๐
Just 4 ingredients, sign me up! We love salmon in our family and we are always on the look-out for a new salmon recipe to try! So glad I found this delicious recipe! Thanks!
Thank you Abby!!! Iโm so glad you like the look of this!
You are definitely related because at first I thought those fingers were yours. ๐ What a fun post and the pics of you as a kid are darling.
That salmon looks magazine worthy. You learn a lot from that mother of yours. Sheโs a star. So where is her blog??? ๐
Ba ha ha, no WAY!! Mum doesnโt have my Baby Hands at all!!! ๐
Gorgeous spread! I would be so happy to be at a gathering with all that delicious looking food!
Thank you so much Fida!!! ๐ N x
Yum! Just Yumโฆ.This is my kind of food. Simple and wholesome. Thanks Nagi
Thank you so much Germaine!! N x
I love everything about this post!! I love learning a little bit more about you, and Iโm so jealous of your ocean view! Great video by the way, this salmon looks really easy to make too.
Thanks so much Jo! It really IS super easy to make! Itโs just that magical combo of 4 simple ingredients that makes all the difference! N x