If you are looking for a new and exciting salmon recipe, look no further. This miso salmon recipe is everything you want and more, and it is in a bowl with lots of vegetables, sweet and salty salmon, creamy avocado, and it is all tied together by the nutty brown rice. What more could you want from a meal?
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Before you get too far into this, I want to say that this recipe may seem intimidating at first. There are a few different components that make it seem a lot more complicated than it is. Really, it is no different than making any meal. If you make marinated pork chops, mashed potatoes, and vegetables, you are making the same number of components. Do not miss out on this miso salmon recipe. It is worth every second that goes into it. Now let's get to it.
Miso Salmon Recipe Marinade
The marinade for the salmon is a combination of 1 tablespoon miso paste, which you can find in most grocery stores and all Asian specialty markets, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon honey, and ½ a teaspoon of sriracha. Whisk these ingredients together. Put two 170 g (6-ounce) salmon portions in the bowl with the marinade, roll the salmon to coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
If you enjoy making your own condiments, you might like to try my flavoured mayonnaise recipes to take this marinade in a different direction next time.
Sweet Potato
While the salmon is marinating, peel and dice two small (or 1 medium) sweet potatoes. You want about 2 cups of diced sweet potato in total. A little more or less is fine. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the sweet potato in a small roasting pan and roast in a 400 degrees F oven for 30 minutes. Flip the sweet potato halfway through cooking. Take the cooked sweet potato out of the oven and set it aside to cool.
A quick tip on the sweet potato: cut them into uniform pieces, roughly half-inch cubes. If some pieces are larger than others, they will not cook evenly, and you will end up with some that are mushy and some that are still firm.
Brown Rice
Once you get the sweet potato in the oven, start cooking your brown rice. For two portions, use ½ cup of rice and 1 ½ cups of water. Ratios may vary by brand, so make sure to read the instructions on the rice package. Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well.
Put the rice and the 1 ½ cups of water in a medium pot. You can add a pinch of salt and pepper and a teaspoon of olive oil if you want to. Bring the rice to a boil on high heat, stirring once or twice. Put a lid on the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer the rice for 20 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, and set it aside to rest for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this resting period. The steam trapped inside finishes cooking the rice and gives it that fluffy texture.
Roasting The Salmon
Take the salmon out of the marinade, gently shaking off the excess. Put the salmon in a lightly oiled roasting pan and cook it in a 400 degrees F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked. You can use the same roasting pan you cooked the sweet potatoes in if you put the cooked sweet potatoes in a bowl. That is what I did to save on washing a bunch of roasting pans.
To check if the salmon is done, gently press the top of the fillet with your finger. If it flakes easily and feels firm, it is ready. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). For more tips on cooking fish, have a look at my guide on everything I know about cooking fish.
Snow Peas
While the salmon is in the oven, pull the strings off 200 g of snow peas. See the crispy tofu bowl post for more clear instructions on how to do that. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of canola oil to the pan along with the cleaned snow peas. Stir-fry the snow peas for 3 minutes, then add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Cook for 30 seconds more, then take the pan off the heat.
The key with snow peas is to not overcook them. You want them to be bright green and still have a nice snap when you bite into them. If they start to look dull or wrinkly, they have gone too far.
Avocado
Finally, cut an avocado in half and remove the pit. Hopefully, your avocado is better than mine was. Gently pull the peel off the avocado and discard it. Dice the avocado into bite-sized pieces. If your avocado is not quite ripe enough, a drizzle of lemon juice and a pinch of salt can help bring out its flavour.
Plating the Miso Salmon Rice Bowl
Divide the rice between two bowls. Push the rice to one side of the bowl. Put the sweet potato at the top of the rice and the snow peas at the bottom. Lay the salmon across the rice and use the avocado to fill any gaps.
To make the miso salmon bowl look a little fancier, you can garnish it with sesame seeds. Also, I had some homemade teriyaki sauce left in the fridge from the sushi bowl post, so I drizzled that over the miso salmon to finish it. You do not have to do that, but if you happen to have some in the fridge or want to throw a batch together, it is worth it.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon miso Paste
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- 2 portions salmon, skin off 170 g (6 ounces)
- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- ½ cup brown rice, uncooked
- 1 ½ cups water plus more to rinse the rice
- 1 avocado, peeled, pit removed and diced
- 200 g snow peas
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the miso paste, mayonnaise, honey, and sriracha. Mix well. Add the salmon to the miso mixture, gently toss it to coat it in the sauce, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, toss the diced sweet potato with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the sweet potato out in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once the sweet potato is cooked, take it out of the oven and set it aside to cool.
- While the sweet potato is in the oven, make the rice. Rince the brown rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well. Put the rice in a medium pot with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring the rice to a boil on high heat, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot with a lid and cook the rice for 20 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Rice to water ratios may vary by brand, so always read the instructions on the package.
- Lightly oil a small roasting pan. Place the salmon on it. Roast the salmon in the oven (still at 400°F) for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked. Take the salmon out of the oven and assemble the bowl. Discard the leftover marinade.
- While the salmon is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in canola oil and the snow peas. Stir-fry the snow peas for 3 minutes, add soy sauce and cook for 30 more seconds. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside.
- Divide the rice, sweet potato, snow peas and avocado among two bowls. Top with the salmon and serve. Optionally, garnish the salmon with homemade Teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds.
Why This Miso Salmon Bowl Is Worth the Effort
My wife and I both went absolutely wild for this miso salmon rice bowl. It may actually be my favourite in the bowl series so far. And with only one post left in the series, I would say it has a good chance of being my number one.
As I said in the intro, this recipe may seem intimidating because there are a few different components. Still, it is no different from making a meal with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and protein. The trick is to work through the components in the right order: get the sweet potatoes in the oven first, then start the rice, then prep and marinate the salmon. By the time the sweet potato is done, everything else is ready to go or close to it.
If you only make one recipe from this whole series, it should be this one. The combination of the sweet, savoury miso glaze on the salmon with the earthy brown rice, roasted sweet potato, and fresh avocado is honestly one of the best things I have ever put in a bowl. Give it a try this weekend, and I think you will agree.
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