After a busy workday, I have exactly 30 minutes to whip up a quick meal that is tasty and kid-approved. Thank goodness for books like Meals in Minutes: Weeknight Suppers: Quick, Easy & Delicious which provides lots of quick meal ideas including this Miso-Glazed Salmon recipe. The original recipe includes broiled bok choy; however, my kids love pasta so I have instead paired this with a healthy side dish of brown rice pasta and roasted veggies. It was a hit with the family, so I’ll be making this one again!
Some notes on salmon:
- I keep frozen salmon fillets as a staple in my freezer, so it can definitely be used when fresh salmon is not available. You can either defrost the fillets overnight, or else bake the marinated frozen salmon at 375F for 10-12 minutes before proceeding with broiling.
- Wild salmon is healthier and more sustainable than farmed salmon. See this article from the David Suzuki Foundation for more information.
Ingredients
- Miso-Glazed Salmon
- 1/2 cup miso paste (preferably low sodium)
- 1/3 cup Mirin or dry sherry
- 1/4 cup sake or dry white wine
- 3 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 salmon fillets, 150-200 grams each
- Roasted Veggie Pasta
- 2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2-in cubes
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
- 1 head of garlic
- 450g brown rice pasta
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients: miso paste, mirin, wine and sugar/syrup. Add salmon fillets, stir and let marinate for at least 10 minutes, turning over a few times.
- Cut off end of garlic head and place on top of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle over 1 tsp of olive oil and tightly wrap garlic in foil.
- Spread chopped zucchini and tomatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake garlic and vegetables for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are soft and caramelized. Remove both garlic and vegetables from oven. Unwrap garlic and allow to cool.
- While vegetables are roasting, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and add back to pot. Mix in roasted vegetables. Squeeze garlic cloves into the pot and add remaining olive oil. Mix pasta well and season with salt and pepper (and optionally, crushed red pepper flakes).
- Turn on broiler and set oven rack to highest position (4-5 inches from the broiler). Remove fillets from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place the fillets onto a foil-lined roasting pan. Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the fillets are caramelized. Carefully turn over, brush with additional marinade and broil for another 2-3 minutes. Note: the fillets cook quickly so be sure to watch the fillets to ensure they do not burn!
- Divide pasta among four plates, placing a salmon fillet on top of each plate. Serve and enjoy!
Image: Brandon Dimcheff via Flickr
