Fresh salmon fillets are marinated and topped with a sweet Asian-inspired sauce, then oven-broiled to juicy, flaky seafood perfection! With just about 10 minutes of active time, this is an excellent recipe for those hectic weeknights! I promise, you're going to love this Quick and Easy Ginger Miso Salmon.
The Miso Ginger Marinade is made with apple, ginger root, miso paste, mirin, soy sauce, and sesame oil. This blend of ingredients creates a delicious sweet and savory marinade that's also used as a flavorful topping for the salmon.
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Why You'll Love It
This salmon marinade contains tasty ingredients like sweet gala apple, fresh ginger, and the classic trio of soy sauce, mirin, and miso paste. As a bonus, it only takes a few minutes to throw together! So what are you waiting for? Grab your ingredients and meet me in the kitchen.
Easy broiling method! Broiling salmon has become our go-to preparation; especially when the weather outside isn't great! Broiling takes just about 5 minutes, and the resulting fillets are always perfectly cooked.
Ingredients for Ginger Miso Salmon
This recipe is pretty easy, though it has a few ingredients you might not be familiar with. Here is everything you need:
Salmon - Reach for the salmon in fillets so you don't have to mess with bones. I recommend keeping the skin on because it contains natural oils that actually enhance the flavor of the salmon.
Oil - Since we are broiling the fish (which means exposing it to very high heat), you need an oil that has a high smoke point. I recommend corn oil or peanut oil.
Apple - I like Gala apples for this application, as they have a nice balance of sweet and tart. Feel free to sub in your favorite apple variety.
Ginger Root - Fresh ginger root is cheap and will keep for a few weeks in your crisper drawer. Just so you know, the easiest way to peel it is by using a spoon! If you don't have access to fresh ginger, you can purchase it in shelf stable tubes, or substitute about ¼ teaspoon of dried ginger powder.
Mirin - This Japanese rice wine is somewhat similar to sake, but with a lower ABV. It is a natural pair for soy sauce (both are main ingredients in teriyaki sauce) and has a beautiful, light flavor.
Soy Sauce - If you're avoiding gluten, opt for Tamari or coconut aminos instead.
White Miso Paste - Made from fermented soy beans, this paste is a serious umami bomb! If you are gluten free, be sure to read the ingredient label as some brands contain wheat, barley or rye. (If processed with rice, buckwheat or millet, you're in the clear!)
Sesame Oil - Deliciously toasty in flavor, this is an ingredient you're going to want to keep on hand. You can also swap in a bit of tahini instead.
Green Onion - I like to finish this Ginger Miso Salmon with a sprinkling of fresh sliced green onions for a bit of freshness.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Fresh tuna and trout can be substituted for salmon. Both have a similar texture and work well for this recipe.
- Instead of fresh ginger root, you can use ground ginger (1:1 ratio) or ginger paste (1:1 ratio).
- Use coconut aminos or Tamari in place of soy sauce.
- A good sub for mirin is sweet sherry or marsala wine (use in a 3:1 ratio [3 parts sherry or Marsala to 1 part sugar]).
How to Make Ginger Miso Salmon
Step 1: Add the ingredients for the marinade/sauce in a food chopper and mix/pulse ingredients for a few minutes.
Step 2: Place half the marinade on top of the salmon and refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.
Step 3: Scrape off and discard the marinade topping. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes. Next, spread the reserved marinade on top of the salmon. Return your fillets to the oven to finish cooking.
Step 4: Garnish the broiled salmon with chopped green onions and serve with extra soy sauce.
What to Serve With It
While I think the traditional choice for a salmon side dish is rice, there are many great options if rice isn’t your thing. I used green beans and cauliflower as my sides, but here is a great post from delish.com with 30+ side dishes that will pair well with salmon.
Recipe Tips
- Use an oil with a very high smoke point (the temperature at which oil begins to burn) - peanut oil and corn oil are a couple of good choices.
- Marinate the salmon for at least 30 minutes - up to 2 hours if you can. This allows the salmon to absorb the flavors of the miso and ginger.
- Allow the salmon to rest for a few minutes after cooking. This will help redistribute the juices and ensure a moist and flavorful bite.
How to Store White Miso Paste
Miso paste can be a bit expensive, so you’ll want to make sure you store the leftover for a future recipe. You can store your leftover miso in the fridge. Due to its relatively high salt content, it’ll stay good for a long time (a year or so). Also, miso will not freeze solid, so you can store it in the freezer as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans. While it might sound strange, it is a staple in Japanese cuisine that adds a ton of flavor to anything you use it for.
Mirin is an ingredient that may not be familiar to you, but is very common in Japanese recipes. It is a sweet Japanese rice wine with high sugar content. The sugar is the result of the fermentation process (no sugars are added).
According to The Spruce Eats on How to Store Ginger Root, it's best to store the unused portion of ginger with the skin on in a crisper drawer. If it is removed, you can store ginger in a zip lock bag. Be sure to push the air out before sealing the bag.
More Seafood Recipes
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Recipe
Easy Miso Ginger Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz salmon fillets (with skin on)
Miso Ginger Marinade/Sauce
- ¼ cup peanut oil or corn oil (see note below)
- ½ apple chopped and seeded gala apple
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
- ½ inch chopped fresh ginger root (about ½ tsp)
- 1 ½ tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon white miso paste
Garnish
- ½ cup chopped green onions
Instructions
Instructions
- Spray a cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the ingredients for the miso ginger marinade/sauce in your mixer.
- Mix/pulse ingredients for a few minutes until everything is finely blended.
- After the ingredients are blended, put half of the marinade in a separate container We will use this a bit later in the process. Apply the other half of the marinade to each fillet, thoroughly coating each fillet.
- Place salmon fillets in a covered dish and then in the refrigerator for 30 - 45 minutes.
- Remove dish from refrigerator and scrape off excess miso ginger sauce.
- Turn broiler on high. Place the fillets in a cooking pan that you've sprayed with your nonstick cooking spray. Place pan on the top rack of the oven on broil (hi) for 4 - 5 minutes.
- About halfway through the broiling process, remove the cooking pan from the oven. Get the other half of the sauce you mixed up earlier and apply a good coating of the sauce to your fillets. Return your fillets to the oven to finish cooking.
- After the second half of your cooking time expires (4 - 5 minutes cook time total), remove the fillets from the oven. Using a fork, test how easily the salmon flakes apart. Salmon that is properly cooked should have an internal temp of 145 F and flake easily. Thicker fillets may require a few more minutes under the broiler.
- Use the chopped green onions to garnish.
- ENJOY!!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and was updated in 2023.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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