My husband recently told me that this miso salmon rice bowl is (at least one of) his favourite meals, which is a tremendous compliment coming from a guy that doesn’t have many favourite anythings.
This is a meal that comes together from very simple components. It requires very little active time or skill, and it is a genuinely satisfying weeknight favourite. The broiled salmon fillets, marinated using only 3-ingredients, give nutty, savoury richness. I balance it with bright and crunchy cucumbers and a simple mix of salad greens dressed with a light soy vinaigrette. Served over a bed of lightly seasoned rice, this meal is an exercise in harmony that far exceeds the sum of its parts.
As I often make this recipe on weeknights, I start by marinating the fish the night before. It doesn’t need the overnight rest but does benefit from it. If you don’t want to follow that pattern, then I recommend giving the salmon at least two hours to soak in the marinade.
These days I broil the fish in my countertop convection oven, but in the past I’ve made it sous-vide, as well. The sous-vide version of miso salmon is also delicious (it takes about 30 minutes at 118 degrees Fahrenheit), but the truth is that I’m a person who likes their fish either completely raw or completely cooked, so the big tub of hot water sitting on my counter wasn’t really offering me that much benefit.
To complete the bowl, I use a wild rice blend, which normally consists of wild rice, long grain white or brown rice, and maybe a mix of some other rices. We love the texture of this blend, but if you can’t find such a mix, any white or brown rice will work. As someone who keeps an 18-lb bag of jasmine rice in the pantry at all times, I can confirm that steamed jasmine rice is a perfectly fine stand in.
Finally, a note on salmon fillets: I get mine from the grocery store, usually when it’s on sale (no, I do not have a close relationship with a fishmonger; I’m certainly open to one but the stars have sadly not yet aligned), and I find that the grocery store fish counters never descale the fish properly*. I’m no stranger to descaling whole fish at home, but descaling fish fillets is an incredibly obnoxious thing to do, so I find it easier to just remove the skin altogether. Honestly, I don’t miss it much, and the absence of skin allows the marinade to penetrate the fish more easily. If you do have a close bond with a local fish purveyor and can source properly descaled fillets, then leave the skin on (if you want).
* Once, I bought skin-on salmon portions. When I got home, I discovered that two out of the four portions had been descaled properly, while the other two were still covered in scales.
Recipe
| Yield | Total Time | Pots Dirtied |
|---|---|---|
| 4 servings | 1 hour (plus a couple hours of inactive time for marinating) | 1 pot + 1 baking sheet |
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 600-800 g salmon fillet
- 3 tbsp white miso1
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
For the Rice Bowl
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) uncooked wild rice blend
- 3 cups stock or water (or the appropriate amount of water per the rice package instructions)
- 75 g salad mix of your choice, such as spring/mesclun mix
- 3 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 1/2 tbsp unseasoned (clear) rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Notes
- I use white miso, but I’m sure you could use red miso. You’ll likely want to use less, as it’s more intense. I’ve also made this with Korean Doenjang before but definitely decrease the amount used to 2 tbsp. Do not use Chinese Doubanjiang. ↩︎
Directions
To marinate the fish:
- Add miso (3 tbsp), mirin (1/4 cup), sugar (1 tbsp), and water (2 tbsp) to a bowl and mix well to combine. You can heat the mixture to more easily dissolve the sugar, but make sure to let it cool before using.
- Clean and trim the salmon of any excessively fatty bits, if necessary. Cut the fillet into 3-4 pieces (unless you purchased individual portions).
- Place the salmon in a large dish and cover with the marinade. Turn the salmon pieces over to ensure even coverage. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to overnight.
When you’re ready to make dinner:
- Start by rinsing and cooking the rice according to package instructions. For a wild rice blend, this will normally take 40-45 minutes on the stove. To cook the rice, I use stock instead of water and add a pinch of salt.
- While the rice is cooking, rinse and dry the salad. Slice the cucumbers into thin, bite-size pieces approximately 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Add cucumbers to a large bowl (you’ll mix your salad in this bowl later), then salt the cucumbers and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- To make the salad dressing, add the rice vinegar (2 1/2 tbsp), soy sauce (1 tbsp), neutral oil (2 tbsp), toasted sesame oil (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and a few grinds of black pepper to a bowl. Whisk to combine. Taste and make any adjustments as you desire. Set aside.
- Set the marinated salmon pieces on a rimmed baking sheet (I usually find an eighth sheet pan to be a good size). Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the salmon sits roughly 3-4 inches from the heating elements, and set your oven to broil. Broil the salmon for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The exact time will depend on your oven strength, as well as the thickness of your fillets. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
- As the salmon rests, drain any water that has come out of your cucumbers, and add the salad mix to the bowl. Give the salad dressing another whisk, and pour it over the salad. Mix together, doing your best to ensure everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
- When the rice has finished cooking, turn off the heat and uncover the pot. Give the rice a good fluff with a spoon or fork and allow it to sit, uncovered, for a few minutes in order to allow the steam in the pot to escape and the rice to cool. You’ll want to serve it warm but not steaming hot.
- To assemble, spoon a serving of rice into a dinner bowl. Top with salad and a piece of broiled salmon. Garnish with sliced scallions. Alternatively, you can serve everything separately and let each person assemble their own bowl.
Serving Suggestions
I actually enjoy any leftover miso salmon cold, as well. If you want to omit the rice, cold miso salmon, flaked, makes for a great salad with the same dressing.