Miso Honey Glazed Salmon: Salty, Sweet and Savory
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You’ll love the big flavors in this miso honey glazed salmon recipe – they’re simulaneously salty, sweet and savory. It’s an umami-rich dish that you’ll want to make again and again.
Miso, a fermented vegetable-based concoction, carries umami flavors that are long, salty and rich. It’s an ingredient that fits right into the Asian taste library along with soy sauce, oyster sauce, bean paste and fish sauce.
However, if you’re like most people, you probably associate miso with that bowl of murky hot soup that you drink/slurp before your sushi arrives. In reality, miso, a specially made mash of fermented soybeans, is a miraculous flavor potion that adds a depth of flavors to foods like, in this case, salmon.
Salmon, whether cooked, uncooked or smoked, carries big time flavors on its own. Coating the oily fish with a miso glaze intensifies those flavors.
The miso glaze in this recipe starts with dark miso, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Honey adds a sweetness that tempers the flavor intensity. Plus, it’s so easy to make – you can cook the tasty dish in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Miso honey glazed salmon is a great weeknight meal with a roster of ingredients that should be easy to find if you live near an Asian market. If not, you should be able to buy them online. Here’s everything you need:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How To Make Honey Miso Glazed Salmon
Making honey miso glazed salmon is so easy – you just need to mix the ingredients, roast the salmon and, finally, apply the glaze. The key is to add the glaze relatively early in the cooking process. Since sugar burns so easily, that may seem a bit risky (in fact, that’s why much of the glaze burns on the surface of the pan – see below) but it gives the glaze time to adhere to the salmon.
Pro Tip
We recommend lining a roasting tray with aluminum foil for easy cleaning. Also, avoid nonstick surfaces like teflon due to this recipe’s use of a high heat oven.
The first step is to mix the ingredients in a bowl to create the glaze. Once mixed, set the glaze aside.
Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
Place a foil-lined baking tray into a preheated 500°f / 260°c oven, applying the vegetable oil evenly on the surface of the tray. (This preheating allows the salmon skin to crisp up.)
After 7 to 10 minutes, gently and carefully place the seasoned salmon on the tray skin side down. Set your timer for 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, not a brush, apply the glaze directly on the salmon. Cover all exposed sides (not the skin side) of the fillets with the glaze.
Cook the glazed salmon for another 5 to 8 minutes. (The fillets should feel firm to the touch.)
Pro Tip
Check the doneness of the fish with a cake tester. To do this, hold the cake tester in the middle of the fish for about 10 seconds. After removing the tester, the tip should feel hot.
The glaze surrounding the salmon will be super caramelized (i.e. black). Dont worry -the glazed fish should’t be burned.
Using a thin spatula (a fish spatula is best), carefully lift the fillets from the tray. Don’t worry again – the salmon’s crisp skin shouldn’t stick to the pan.
Serve the honey miso glazed salmon over rice and with a green vegetable of your choice.
We like to serve this dish with steamed broccoli but you can alternatively serve it with edamame or green beans.
Miso Honey Glazed Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets (6 to 8 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons miso (aged red)
- 1 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoons chili paste (sambal olek or fresh Thai bird chili – optional)
- salt
- white pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500°f / 260°c
- Once the oven is heated, line a sheet tray with aluminum foil. Place the tray in the oven and spoon the vegetable oil onto the tray making sure to evenly spread the oil.
- Mix the miso, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, garlic, honey, rice wine vinegar and optional chili paste/fresh chili in a bowl until the ingredients are incorporated. The mixture should form a thick glaze.
- Once the oil is heated (about 7 minutes), carefully place the fish on to the pan skin side down. (The fish should sizzle and shrink immediately.)
- After five minutes, open the oven and apply the glaze carefully and evenly on the fish with a spoon. Close the oven and cook the fish for another 5 to 8 minutes until the fish is firm or until the end of a cake tester comes out hot.
- Serve over rice with a side of cooked green vegetables.
Notes
- You can replace the dark miso with white miso or red miso.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Miso is a paste produced by fermenting soybeans and other ingredients like wheat with koji – a fermentation agent.
Salmon, Red Miso, Japanese Soy Sauce Sesame Oil, Oyster Sauce, Honey, Red Wine Vinegar, Chili Paste (optional), Garlic, Salt, White Pepper and Scallions (garnish)
Yes. However, the flavors of the glaze will be more mellow and may be overwhelmed by the salmon’s flavor.
Yes. However, the glaze will burn around the salmon and the tray will be difficult to clean. We recommend cooking the salmon on aluminum foil or parchment paper.
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