Salmon With Miso Sauce

Yay~ It's japanese food again! I discovered this dish in an Izakaya in Shinjuku and ever since I tried it I desperately wanted to know how it is made. An Izakaya is a kind of restaurant that's really popular in Japan. Usually you go there with a group of people and order several dishes from the menu card which are shared, so that everyone can try everything. The servings are rather small but, depending on the restaurant, they usually are rather inexpensive too. Personally, I love Izakayas because they are cosier than normal restaurants, they can be found almost everywhere, and you are not limited to one single dish.

Well, anyway, once I got back home from Japan, I googled for the recipe and found a few versions, but they all had one thing in common: the miso coat. So I tried to coat the salmon with the miso paste, then fried it carefully in a pan, but unfortunately the paste turned into something like charcoal and fell off. Disappointed by this experience, I wasn't eager to try again - until I made miso soup. And that's when I suddenly knew how to cook this delicious japanese meal.

What you need:

* 300g fresh salmon
* 3 tsp miso paste
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 2 tbsp mirin
* a bit of rapeseed oil

Heat the oil in a frying pan and put in the salmon.
In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste with 3 tbsp of hot water. Add the soy sauce and the mirin.
After the salmon is ready, take it out of the pan and keep it warm. Remove the remains of the oil (if there are any) and pour in the miso sauce. Heat it shortly, then serve the fish with the sauce. Red or orange pepper (or for instance chinese cabbage) and japanese rice are best as side dishes.
This recipe provides about 2-3 servings.
Enjoy!

~Vail~