This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Fish Forever, Paul Johnson’s award-winning cookbook. His recipe for Miso-Glazed Sablefish is one I have made on many occasions because it is simple enough for a weeknight meal and special enough for a dinner party. In fact, I often triple the marinade and keep it on hand in the refrigerator for quick-fix dinners. I typically use the marinade with the fresh-caught sablefish (black cod) purchased from Linda Brand Crab Seafood at the Portland Farmers Market. While working on this book, I decided to try the marinade with salmon, and it is an equally good pairing. Serve this dish with jasmine rice and steamed baby bok choy.
Serves 6
1/4 cup [60 ml] sake or dry white wine
1/4 cup [60 ml] mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
1/4 cup [50 g] sugar
1/2 cup [120 ml] white miso paste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
6 center-cut salmon fillets, about 6 oz [170 g] each, skin and pin bones removed
1In a small saucepan, combine the sake, mirin, and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and evaporate the alcohol. Remove from the heat and whisk in the miso paste, soy sauce, and ginger to make a marinade. Set aside until cool.
2Select a baking dish that is just large enough to hold the salmon in a single layer. Coat the bottom of the dish with one-third of the marinade. Arrange the salmon fillets on top and use the rest of the marinade to coat the tops and sides of the fillets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 hours. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature.
3Position an oven rack 3 to 4 in [7.5 to 10 cm] from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the salmon from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Place the salmon, skinned-side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
4Broil the salmon until it colors beautifully at the edges and is almost opaque throughout but still very moist, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 115° to 120°F [45° to 49°C], 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The sugar in the marinade will caramelize in spots, which is desirable. If the salmon begins to char, move it farther away from the heat source to finish cooking.
5Transfer the salmon to warmed dinner plates. Serve immediately.