Miso Glazed Salmon on Sushi Rice

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This dish is a famous Japanese meal that has been popularized throughout western culture in recent times. The combination of the sweet, salty Miso Glaze pairs perfectly with the silkiness and fattiness of Salmon. The flavors in this Miso Glazed Salmon are unmistakably Japanese, and you’ll notice it even before you take your first bite. The wonderful aromas this dish produces will instantly transport you to a small hole in the wall restaurant in Tokyo. It’s a fantastic dinner dish that’s healthy, delicious, and easy to make!

There are four separate components to making this dish

While this is a simple dish to make, there are several separate components that need to be made to complete this wonderful Miso Glazed Salmon. Each component is easy to do and is more than achievable for even beginner home cooks. The key to success is all about timing. So, we recommend planning and prepping in advance of cooking anything. That way you’ll easily be able to manage multiple elements cooking at once

The four components required for this delicious dish as listed below, and the process for perfecting the dish should follow this order:

1. Sushi Rice
2. Making the Miso Glaze
3. Cooking the Salmon
4. Steaming the Bok Choy
   
   

Let’s talk through each of the four elements so you’ve got a good grasp on what is required to perfect this delicious Miso Glazed Salmon with Sushi Rice recipe

1. Making perfect Sushi Rice at home is easy

You don’t need to be intimidated by making Sushi Rice. Those food documentaries that delve into the ancient art of Japanese cuisine will have you believe you need 20 years’ experience making Sushi Rice every day to make it. In all honesty, it couldn’t be further from the truth

Sure, you’ll probably get ridiculously great Sushi Rice from a 20+ year Sushi Master at a 3 Michelin Star restaurant in Japan. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make perfectly good Sushi Rice at home!

Sushi Rice is prepared just like any regular rice like Long Grain or Jasmine Rice. Our method is adding 1 cup of Rice into a saucepan along with 1 ½ cups of boiling water. Drop the heat to a simmer, cover and leave it for 10 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and leave it for a further 10 minutes while still covered

This is all you’ve got to do to cook perfect rice every time. We showcase this method in more detail in our perfect rice recipe here

What makes Sushi Rice different?

Unlike other traditional steamed rice, there is an added step to Sushi Rice once it has been steamed. Transfer the cooked Rice to a large wooden bowl and add Sugar, Rice Wine Vinegar, and Salt. These additional flavors are what gives the Sushi Rice it’s unique sweet and sour subtleness. Mix all these ingredients together with the Rice and it’s ready to go! It’s that easy

2. Making the Miso Glaze

While the Rice is cooking away, it’s the perfect time to whip up the Miso Glaze for the Salmon. This is an easy step, which requires simply combining Miso Paste, Mirin, Cooking Sake, and Sugar in a small bowl. I like to use a chopstick to mix it all together. It’s the easiest method and avoids a lot of the ingredients sticking to whatever you’re mixing it with

All the ingredients for the Miso Glaze are commonly found these days in most grocery stores. Take a look at the international section and they should be there. Otherwise, you may need to head to a specialty Asian grocery store where they’ll definitely be found!

3. Cooking the Salmon

Timing wise, we recommend putting the Salmon on the frying pan around the same time that you’ve turned the heat off the Rice. Remember, the Rice will still have 10 minutes of cooking while it’s covered and off the heat, giving you plenty of time to perfect the Salmon

If you’re working with skin-on Salmon you absolutely can cook it in this dish. However, as we are applying a Miso Glaze we recommend removing the skin. Here’s a video we created on the easiest way to do this:

Add a little bit of oil to a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, place the Salmon into the pan then immediately brush a generous coating of the Miso Glaze onto the exposed side. Cook the Salmon for about 5 minutes and then carefully flip it over to cook the glazed side

Give the cooked side a thorough coating of Miso Glaze as well. After about 2 minutes of cooking, flip it once again to give both sides that have now been glazed a bit of direct contact with the hot pan

You don’t want to cook the Salmon side that has glaze on it for too long, as it will burn. About 2 minutes is about the sweet spot. You’ll get a lovely, caramelized color with some slightly charred, blackened bits. These are perfect! You want a few of those blackened bits to add a beautiful, charred flavor to the Salmon

Once cooked, set the Salmon aside to rest for a few minutes, allowing you to finish off your Sushi Rice and cook the Bok Choy

4. Steaming the Bok Choy

This is a super-easy step and can be completed right at the end of the process. Steaming Bok Choy only takes about 2 minutes in total, so it’s easily done once your Rice and Salmon are ready

Wipe down the frying pan (or use a new one) and then add about ½ cup of Water. Place it over high heat and allow it to start to bubble, which will occur very quickly. Once it’s done that, simply add the Bok Choy slices along with a sprinkle of Salt. Cover it and cook for 2 minutes

This process is an easy hack for steaming vegetables. The water you add to the pan will evaporate and turn into steam, and the lid keeps it all in the pan, allowing for a steamer to be created. The Bok Choy doesn’t take long to cook and is easy to overcook. 2 minutes is plenty

If you like you can add some flavors to the Bok Choy such as Red Wine Vinegar and a squeeze of Lemon Juice. Or just keep it simple with the Salt or even add a touch of the Miso Glaze for even more flavor

Miso Glazed Salmon with Sushi Rice Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Salmon Filets, skin removed
• 2 whole Bok Choy, sliced in half
• ½ tbsp. Neutral Oil (Vegetable Oil / Canola Oil etc.)
• 2 Scallion Stalks, finely diced
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
• ½ tsp. of Salt
  
  

Miso Glaze Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Miso Paste
• 2 tsp. Cooking Sake
• 2 tsp. Mirin
• 2 tsp. Brown Sugar
  
  

Sushi Rice Ingredients

• 1 cup of Sushi Rice
• 1 ½ cups of Boiling Water
• 2 tbsp. Sugar
• 3 tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Begin by combining the Sushi Rice and Boiling Water in a Saucepan over low heat. Cover for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and remain covered for a further 10 minutes
2. While the Rice is cooking, combine all the Miso Glaze Ingredients in a small bowl and mix well
3. Heat the Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, place the Salmon Filets onto the pan. Brush the exposed side of the Salmon liberally with the Miso Glaze
4. Cook the Salmon for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Brush the other side with Miso Glaze. Once cooked, turn over once again to ensure both sides of the Salmon are caramelized from the Glaze
5. Set the Salmon aside to rest. Add ½ cup of Water to the frying pan. Crank the heat to high and then add the Bok Choy. Season with a pinch of Salt then cover and steam for 2 minutes
6. To finish the Sushi Rice, add it to a large wooden bowl along with the Sugar, Rice Wine Vinegar, and Salt. Mix everything together
7. Add a generous amount of Rice to a serving bowl or plate and place the Salmon on top. Garnish with the cooked Bok Choy and sprinkle over the sliced Scallions and Sesame Seeds
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Don’t be too concerned if the Salmon begins to blacken slightly. This is due to the high sugar content in the Miso Glaze. It is part of the cooking process and will add a beautiful flavor to the dish
• Here’s a great video to show how to easily remove Salmon Skin
• You can add some Miso Glaze or a dash of Red Wine Vinegar to the Bok Choy while it is steaming if you like
  
  

This is our delicious and easy recipe for Miso Glazed Salmon on Sushi Rice with steamed Bok Choy. We hope you give this recipe a try! It’s a tasty and healthy meal perfect for a midweek dinner

If you’re looking for more tasty Japanese recipes then you’re in luck! We’ve got loads of them at Dinnertime Somewhere. Here’s a few of our favorites that we recommend you try too:

• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Scallions
• Crispy Rice Salmon Bites
• Easy Homemade Tuna Tartare
• Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
  
  

Happy Cooking!