Miso Salmon with Sesame Soba Noodles

This is one of our go-to weekday express meals. The salmon gets marinated overnight, but otherwise, it’s ready to go in 30 minutes.

The original Nobu recipe uses both mirin and sake but to keep preparation quicker and simpler, I’ve consolidated the total volume into just mirin (mirin is a rice wine like sake, but sweeter), and reduced the sugar in the original recipe to compensate. You can substitute black cod (sablefish) if available, but salmon is works well and easy to find during the week.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Salmon and Miso Marinade

• salmon: 4 fillets (150-200 g/5.5-7 oz each)
• mirin: 6 Tbsp
• miso paste: about 130 g/5 oz/0.5 cup
• sugar: 4 Tbsp

Noodles and Sauce

• soba (buckwheat) noodles: 1 package, normally 320-400 g/11-14 oz
• oyster sauce: 4 Tbsp
• soy or tamari sauce: 1 Tbsp
• mirin: 1 Tbsp
• sesame oil: 2 Tbsp depending on your preference
• sriracha chili sauce: 1 tsp (optional)
• oil (for cooking the veg): 2 tsp
• red bell pepper: 1 pepper, thinly sliced
• peas in the pod (snow peas): about 250 g/9 oz
• ginger: about 10 g, 1 in/2.5 cm long piece, finely grated with skin on
• garlic: 1 clove, finely grated
• lime: juice of 1 lime, and zest of half
• fresh cilantro/coriander: 1 handful, finely chopped
• sesame seeds: 1 Tbsp
• scallions (UK: spring onions): a few thin cuts of the green part for garnish

STEPS

Miso Marinade (24-8 hours before)

1. In a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sugar to a boil.
2. Add the miso paste, reduce the heat to medium, and stir continusly for about 2 minutes until completely combined.
3. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
4. In a dish you can seal or cover the salmon in, add the fish, then add the marinate and coat the fish completely. Cover and refrigerate until final cooking.

Make the Noodles and Sauce

1. Make the sauce: Combine the oyster sauce, soy, mirin, sesame oil, and sriracha in a small bowl.
2. Cook the noodles. Bring about 1.5 liters/quarts of water and 1 Tb of salt to just barely boiling in a wok or very deep pan. Add the noodles. Cook for 4 minutes (reduce the heat if needed to keep from boiling), then remove to a fine colander and drain. Bring the pan back to medium-high heat.
3. Cook the veg. Add 2 tsp of oil to the pan and allow to heat. Add the peppers and cook for 3 minutes, then add the pea pods and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Mix ingredients together. To the veg, add the noodles, sauce, lime juice and zest. Keep warm.

Broil the Salmon and Serve

1. Heat a broiler (UK: grill) to the highest temperature setting. Remove the salmon from the fridge and wipe off most of the marinade. Add the salmon to a sheet pan.
2. Broil for about 10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through (internal temp. about 52-54 C/125-130 F). There should be some caramelization on the top, but not burning–lower the rack if needed.
3. Serve. Add sesame seeds to the salmon, then serve over the noodles and vegetables. Tip: leftover noodles are great, especially cold. When eating as leftovers, just refresh the noodles with a squeeze of lime juice.