I don’t know about you, but I’ve been under the cudgel work-wise recently, so quick suppers like this one have been a boon. I don’t have a microwave (I know)* and I’m not a fan of expensive and sugar- and salt-laden ready meals, so it’s good to be able to whip up something that’s as tasty as it is nutritious.
Hands up, the salmon needs to be marinated for an hour or so, but it’s otherwise quick to prep and cook and bursting with flavour. You can substitute pak choi for the broccoli, if you prefer. The matchsticks of ginger are crucial to this dish, please don’t go onto auto pilot and chop them (yup, done that)*.
And finally, it’s worth seeking out the best sustainably-fished salmon you can afford. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I like wild Alaskan salmon, for its flavour, texture and colour. Having said that, beware the frozen packs from China (yes, that confused me, too)*, which are pallid and limp compared to what’s available elsewhere (substitute name of well-known supermarket beloved of the middle classes)*.
[* Too many parentheses: Ed.]
Miso-marinated Salmon with Ginger Noodles
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
2 tbsp miso
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1-2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 tspn toasted sesame oil
1 large thumb of ginger
3-4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced at an angle, green parts reserved for garnish
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 heads of Tenderstem broccoli
Handful of beansprouts (optional)
1 or 2 nests of egg noodles
Light soy sauce
Lemon juice
Method:
Whisk together the miso, mirin and sherry, place in a sealed bag with the salmon, squeeze the air out and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
In a dry heavy-based frying pan, toast the sesame seeds until golden. Watch them like a hawk, they go from ‘never going to happen’ to ‘burned’ in a flash. Cool on a plate.
Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions but stop when they’re al dente. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain again and stir through a half teaspoon of sesame oil to stop them sticking.
Thinly slice the spring onions and garlic. Thinly slice the stems of the broccoli and break the heads, if large, into smaller florets. Peel the ginger and cut into thin matchsticks.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and when you’re ready to eat, line a roasting tin with lightly oiled foil, put in the salmon skin-side down and sprinkle liberally with the toasted sesame seeds.
Cook for 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Reserve the marinade. When the fish is done, remove from the oven, and rest somewhere warm.
Heat the sunflower or rapeseed and sesame oil in a wok and stir fry the ginger, garlic, spring onions and broccoli stems for a couple of minutes. Throw in the broccoli florets and beansprouts (if using) and stir fry for a further minute.
Add the noodles, a splash of the remaining marinade and another of light soy sauce and toss until the noodles have warmed through.
Divide between two bowls, top with the salmon and squeeze over some lemon juice. Garnish with a few finely shredded spring onion tops.
Thanks for sorting tomorrow’s lunch out – yep, just checked the miso, knew I had the salmon 🙂 ! Baby bok choi will be lovely. And it is a work weekend for me too , , , this is so totally my kind of food. Oh and I live semi-rurally with no half-way decent takeaway I don’t like either . . .and I do have a microwave I don’t use for health reasons . . . just to warm coffee and heatpads for pain . . . a few similarities there . . .
Happy to be of service, Eha, thank you! Have a great weekend. Lx
This is a perfect recipe for our salmon night. I love that you use miso and mirin, a bit of “yin and yang”. I’ve forwarded this one to this week’s salmon night cook (my wife). Thanks for sharing what I know will be a great recipe.
That’s very kind, Ron, thank you. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Lx