Looking for a quick, easy, and flavorful meal? This umami-packed salmon with miso butter scallion sauce will become your new staple for busy nights!
This salmon with miso butter scallion sauce is a twist on the classic recipe!
Instead of a miso glaze, we make a rich, flavorful sauce with miso, butter, and scallions to pour over the salmon.
It’s quick and easy—just pan-fry the salmon, make the sauce in the same pan, and you’re done! Perfect for busy fall nights.
In This Post
Jump to Recipe✏️What is Miso?
Miso is one of the essential condiments in Japan. There are several types of miso, each with its own unique characteristics:
- Shiro (white): Made primarily with rice and fermented for a shorter period than other types of miso. It has a mild sweetness and is perfect for dishes where you want to highlight miso’s sweetness or keep the dish’s color light.
- Aka (red): Made mostly with barley and fermented for a longer time than other miso types. It has a saltier, stronger flavor and works well for nimono (stewed vegetables and meat).
- Shinshu: This is like a middle ground between shiro and aka miso. It offers a great balance of sweetness, saltiness, and depth of flavor, making it my go-to miso. Shinshu refers to a region in Japan, which happens to be where I’m from! 🙂
For this recipe, I used shinshu miso, but you can substitute it with shiro (white) or aka (red) miso. Just keep in mind that the saltiness may vary depending on the brand of miso, so be sure to taste the sauce as you cook.
🍳Let’s Cook Together!
1. prep the sauce ingredients
Mix the sake and miso. Mice the scallions.
2. prep the salmon
Pat the salmon dry, then season with salt and black pepper. Coat it with all-purpose flour.
3. pan-fry the salmon
Heat oil in a pan and fry the salmon for 3 minutes on one side. Flip it over and fry for another 3-5 minutes. Set the salmon aside.
4. make the sauce
Melt the butter in the same pan and sauté the minced scallions. Add the miso and sake mixture, stirring well.
5. Serve and enjoy!
💌If you created this recipe and liked it, please let me know by leaving a comment below or tagging me on Instagram (@giveme.umami). I’d love to see your creation!
Salmon with Miso Butter Scallion Sauce (20 Minutes Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 pieces salmon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 4 ounces scallions (about 12 stalks)
- 4 tablespoons miso (note 1)
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prep the salmon: Remove the scales from 4 pieces salmon if there are any. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Season it with kosher salt and ground black pepper, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour on all sides.
- Prep the sauce ingredients: Mix 4 tablespoons miso and 2 tablespoons sake in a small bowl. Mince 4 ounces scallions.
- Cook the salmon: Heat a pan over medium heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon neutral oil and wait until it’s hot. Place the salmon in the pan, skin side down, and fry for about 3 minutes, until the surface is golden brown.
- Flip and finish cooking: Flip the salmon over and fry for another 3-5 minutes with a lid on, or until the salmon is fully cooked. Remove the salmon from the pan and place it on a plate.
- Make the sauce: Wipe the pan with a paper towel. Lower the heat to low-medium and add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Once the butter melts, add the minced scallions and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened. Add the sake and miso mixture to the pan and stir well.
- Plate and serve: Place the cooked salmon on a plate and pour the sauce over the top. Be careful not to add too much sauce, as it’s quite strong. Enjoy!
Notes
🗄️Storage Tips
Once cooled, place the salmon and sauce in separate containers.
- Fridge: Store for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Store for up to a month.
- Reheating: Microwave the salmon and sauce separately, then plate them together. Be careful not to microwave the sauce for too long—10-15 seconds should be enough.
🥢What To Serve With Miso Butter Salmon
The salmon and sauce are on the richer side, so I recommend pairing them with light, refreshing side dishes like sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad) and pan-fried or grilled vegetables such as bok choy and shimeji mushrooms.
Don’t forget to serve it with Japanese rice—the sauce pairs perfectly with white rice!
❓Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
You can prepare the miso butter scallion sauce in advance. Cook the salmon and reheat the sauce in a pan before serving.
While you can cook the salmon ahead of time, reheating it might make it lose some of its texture and flavor.
Yes! Simply use gluten-free miso to make it gluten-free.
You can toss the sauce with pan-fried or grilled vegetables like Brussels sprouts, or use it for other types of fish, such as cod. It also pairs wonderfully with rice—just pour it over hot, cooked rice and enjoy 🙂
Gently press down on the salmon with your fingers. It should feel firm with some resistance, not bouncy, and the flesh should easily flake apart when it’s done.
