Looking for a new way to serve up the versatile, Omega-rich salmon? Try this tender and succulent Miso Butter Salmon pan-fried in a delicious savory sauce. Cooking time from start to finish is less than 30 minutes!
Now that your children are back in school and you as a parent is finally finding your way into the regular school-year routine, I assume you need a quick and easy dinner inspiration? My kids love Miso Salmon, which is frequent in our family dinner rotation and today I’m going to share a slightly different variation which has become such a staple – Miso Butter Salmon (味噌バターサーモン).
The Golden Combination of Miso and Butter
Have you had a chance to combine miso and butter in your cooking? Does it sound strange or unusual to you? If that was the case, you’re gonna give this new flavor a try. I promise they are so, so good together.
Miso and butter – miso is definitely Japanese, but butter? Well, for those who have visited Hokkaido, you’ve probably tried the legendary Hokkaido’s Miso Ramen that is adorned with a golden piece of butter on top. Yep, there is such a thing! Known for its delicious dairy and agricultural products, it is no surprise that the locals in Hokkaido utilize their best commodity in every way.
I’m not sure if that’s how the miso and butter combination was introduced to the Japanese, but you can certainly find many dishes that incorporate the two ingredients as a power duo. Miso is earthy and packed with umami, while butter is rich and creamy. Together they make the most versatile flavoring to dress up a dish.
How to Pan-Fried Salmon Perfectly
Now if you don’t usually pan-fry salmon, here are just a few quick techniques you may want to know before you start.
1. Make sure your salmon is closer or at room temperature
Before you’re ready to start cooking, remove the fish from the refrigerator about 15-20 minutes in advance. When the fish is at room temperature, not only it cooks more quickly, it also ensures even doneness throughout the salmon fillet.
2. Pat dry your fish before seasoning
If the fillets are wet, they are more likely to stick to the pan, and the skin won’t crisp as nicely. Before seasoning it with salt and pepper, use a paper towel to gently pat dry the fillets.
3. Use a spatula to press down the fish
Once you flip the salmon to the skin side, press down the fillet using your spatula to give some firm pressure so the ends of the fish won’t curl up.
4. Do not overcook salmon
This is always the key to juicy and tender salmon. Pay attention to the fish as it is cooking, watching for the change in color. You can see how far you’ve cooked the fish from the sides. Once it’s already more than 75% cooked, be sure to control your heat by turning it to low. It is completely okay when there is a bit of translucent pink in the middle. The remaining heat will continue to cook the rest of the fish. Using the spatula to give the sides a gentle squeeze. The flakes should begin to separate when it’s done.
Different Types of Miso
For this salmon recipe, I used Hikari Miso® Organic Miso – Mild Sodium Miso (shown in left top). It is made of 100% USDA Certified Organic rice and soybeans and is additive-free. It has a light yellow color original to Shinshu-style miso. A high volume of rice koji produces its mild taste and smooth texture.
If you’re interested to try it out, you can purchase Hikari Miso from a majority of Japanese/Asian grocery stores or on Amazon. It is my favorite brand of miso paste. There is also a variety of miso, each with a different flavor you can use for various purposes.
Accompanied by flavorful mushrooms, this Miso Butter Salmon is the ultimate weeknight dish for the entire family. It’s healthy and delicious, and I know your family will enjoy it often.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Miso Butter Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 fillets salmon (4-6 oz, 110-170g)
- kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- shimeji mushrooms
- shiitake mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Seasonings
Toppings
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Combine the ingredients for the seasonings (1 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce).
- Finely chop chives and cut off the stem of shimeji mushrooms. Separate shimeji into smaller pieces with hands.
- Cut off the stem of shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice them.
- Check to see if your salmon has any bone, and remove if there is any (it’s good to have a pair of fish bone tweezers). Pat dry the salmon with paper towel and season the salmon with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle flour on the salmon and thinly coat it all over the salmon. The flour will prevent the delicious juice leaking from the salmon and it also acts as a thickening agent for the sauce.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the salmon from flesh side. You can see how far you’ve cooked from the side of the fillet. Don’t burn your salmon using high heat. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip so the skin side is on the bottom and add the shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. Cook the skin side for 5 minutes.
- Then cook the sides of the salmon for 1 minute each. It is completely okay when there is a bit of translucent pink in the middle. The remaining heat will continue to cook the rest of the fish.
- Add the butter and saute the mushrooms. Put the mushrooms on the salmon so salmon gets some of the delicious sauce.
- Add the seasonings and coat the salmon using a spoon.
- Transfer the salmon and garnish with the chives.
Dear Nami san Thanks again for sharing another great recipe. I have a question regarding the salmon skin. When the sauce is poured over the fish with the seasonings, can the salmon skin still remain crispy? I like mine crispy. Please advise.
Hi Francis! You won’t be able to keep the skin crispy as the sauce would be covered. You could cook the sauce separately (and reduce the sauce to thicken) and then pour the sauce after cooking the salmon. That way, you can avoid pouring the sauce onto the skin. Hope that helps!
So I did this recipe but had salmon steaks – ended up chopping then in chunks, added scallops, thickly cut mushrooms, and onions, and then put it on skewers (not worth the hassle!) And this sauce…everyone LOVED it. I was even surprised because we get super oily wild salmon steaks and I thought the butter sauce would make it too strong but I thought it was lighter than expected. I am definitely keeping the sauce recipe – simple and delicious!
hi Katy! I’m glad to hear you liked the recipe and I love the skewer idea too! IT must be so good with all the mushrooms and scallops. YUM!!! Thank you for your kind feedback, Katy!
Nami, do you think I can follow this recipe and put the salmon to cook in the oven instead of pan-frying? If so, around what temp and how long would you suggest. Thank you so much!
Hi Leila! Do you mean to bake the salmon IN the sauce? One thing to be careful when you cook with miso is that miso burns SO easily. If you see the video/pictures of my Miso Cod recipe, you see me wipe off all the miso from the fish, but small bits of miso left on the fish turned into burnt pieces. So… you have to probably marinate the salmon in the sauce, remove the miso marinate and then bake like this recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso-salmon/
Hope that helps!
Delightful and appetizing – may try it according to my abilities to get ingredients here. In Australia we can only buy local Atlantic or farmed salmon in the long run so detrimental to one’s health . . . . Alaskan is only available in tins! And I would happily grab the whole pile of your organic misos but Amazon has already firmly advised this cannot be sent over ! So, local it will have to be 🙂 !!
Hi Eha! I have a little knowledge of food and ingredients that are available in Australia except that I heard there is a great food scene there (which is why I want to visit someday soon!). Hope you get to enjoy this recipe one day. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I just received it in the newsletter this morning and had to cook it for dinner tonight. The whole family gave it a thumbs up and said it’s a keeper. I took a picture but can’t share it with you here. I’ll put it on Instagram and will tag you but not sure if you’ll be able to see it since my account is private. Thanks again Nami!
Hi Kathy! Thank you so much for your kind feedback (and I’m sorry I am responding so late here). I’m super happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe and that made my day! I have seen someone’s pictures of this recipe on Instagram, maybe it was yours, maybe not. If it was you, thank you for sending/sharing with me!
Hello Nami,
My husband and I both look forward to your “Just one Cook Book” instalments. We both like traveling to Japan ( our 9th trip coming up), we enjoy the culture, food and Japanese hospitality. We both enjoy eating Japanese cuisine and your instructions and video tutorials make trying new dishes easy to follow. I look forward to each new post. My husband enjoys your travel blogs. Car rental blog was helpful and great to see where you and your family have visited. Any blog that can help with educating others in cultural differences are also good. Finding out what the different specialties of the regions is most helpful. So not only do we enjoy your recipes we also like your “must,see” places in Japan and most recently your travel blogs of the US.
Thank you Nami and your team.
Mary Broadway
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for reading my blog posts! I’m happy to hear you enjoy your trip to Japan as well. We’ll try our best to keep JOC posts entertaining and helpful. Thank you for writing your kind feedback! xo
Hi Nami, what is the weight of the salmon fillet you used? The ones sold near my place is 200g each. If too big, the marinade might be diluted.
Hi Sharyn! I don’t have the notebook with me, but when I find it I’ll add to the recipe. Typically one serving of salmon is 2-3 oz (57-85 g). This recipe is for 2 servings. 🙂
looks good! I am going to give it a try this weekend!!!
Hi Galaxy! Hope you enjoy(ed) this recipe! 🙂
Exquisite recipe, Nami! I used only shimeji mushrooms but the flavor was still excellent!
Hi Alex! I’m so glad you give this a try and thanks for your kind feedback! Thank you!!
Hello, just cooked salmon with miso butter sauce and really liked the flavor! A recipe enjoyed by all that I have faithfully wrote down on my recipes notebook. Thanks for sharing. Sorry I ate it before I could take a picture to post on #justonecookbook.
Hi Anne! I’m happy to hear you liked the flavor. Thank you for your kind feedback. It means a lot to me that you left this comment. So thank you!!!
Hello from Melbourne! I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. I also really appreciated your miso recommendation more than you can imagine–I always get analysis paralysis whenever I look at the miso section at my local Asian grocery store so you definitely helped speed that process up for me, haha!
Hello H! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Ahahaha! I understand as the same thing happens to me when I go to a grocery store of unfamiliar cuisine… I actually write my blog posts and blog trying to put me in that situation too. 🙂 Regarding the miso’s varieties though, I’d encourage you to try different miso – everyone has different preference even in Japan and there is no such “one miso” everyone loves. It took me several years of trying different miso tubs to finally found the miso I love (I shared the picture of it in my miso pantry page). I love Hikari Miso and they make very good miso for all different kinds. Some miso works for cooking salmon, but that miso may not be your favorite miso soup. So have fun experimenting! 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/miso/
Always looking for new protein rich recipes! This looks amazing! Have you tried it with any butter alternatives? I might have to experiment!
Hi Michelle! Hmm I didn’t add butter as if you would need oil in the pan, this butter is actually added purposely to create miso butter taste. If you don’t want to use butter, simply omit it and just make it as miso salmon. 🙂
Nami, thank you for your response! I am trying to cut down on some extra calories (the butter seems so delicious here though) but I’ve found some great high protein recipes on your blog and I just picked up a new book by Melanie Wildman. It’s called the Ultimate Protein Cookbook but she has a ton of easy delicious recipes. I love new ideas! Thank you again!
Hi, wanted to ask you about Hikari MIso. It is not kept in the fridge in the supermarket and I am wondering if that means that it is not really fermented. I heard that only miso that needs to be kept in the fridge before opening is the one with the real bacteria. Hikari miso seems a bit industrial, don’y you think?
Thanks
Hi Kasia! I hope you can read this in English (maybe chrome can translate?).
https://marukawamiso.com/spec/84.html
So basically, if you use Nama Koji, it has to be kept in the fridge all the time, but if you use dried koji, then it can be kept at room temperature.
Some hikari miso product has a special air hole too is breathable.
Majority of miso in Japan is on the shelf that’s on the room temperature. They are not in refrigerated section.
I love using your recipes from your ecookbook. I wil try this one tonight.
Hi Colleen! Thank you so much for trying my recipes! Hope you enjoy(ed) this recipe! 🙂
Made the miso butter salmon tonight… and I’ve found my new favorite food! This was absolutely to die for, and I say that having tried many of your recipes. (Your blog saved my life in grad school – my dorm didn’t have an oven and I prefer my own cooking to most restaurants). I’d have taken a picture, but the salmon fell apart as I plated it. Maybe next time, because this is one recipe I’m DEFINITELY making again and again! Thank you!!!
Hi Ali! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and that made me happy! The most important part is to enjoy the meal at that moment. I sometimes wish that I am not a food blogger so I don’t have to always worry about “contents” around the food I’m about to enjoy.
Really happy to know that my recipes helped you when you were in dorm. Most of Japanese food don’t require an oven, so yeah it’s kinda perfect for dorm room cooking! 😉
Thank you for your kind feedback and for writing sweet message!
Made this the other night for our family of 4. Relatively easy to make and the flavor was incredible. My 8 and 11 yo boys were begging for more salmon! Thanks for this recipe. It is a keeper. Tip 1: you want at least 1″ thick fillets if you can find them, otherwise you won’t be able to easily stand them up on their sides. So, be selfish when you are making your selection and ask them to cut only the thickest part for you. If you need to take fillets from multiple slabs, so be it. Tip 2: Feel free to substitute another mushroom you like. I only had enoki and maitake on hand, so that’s what I used and it was delish.
Hi Chris! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback and helpful tips! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe!
This was SO delicious!!! Husband and I typically aren’t a fan of mushrooms, so we went without and made some pan fried asparagus to go on the side. Went with red miso cause it’s what I had. I forgot the chives at the store, so I just mixed in some dried chives into the seasoning, so when they hit the hot pan the flavor released. Thank you- will definitely be making this again!
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this dish! 🙂
Because it says just “butter” here, I assumed it’s “salted butter”. Then my dish seemed a bit too salty. I wonder how different it would be if I use unsalted butter. Well, I had used miso from Hokkaido. Maybe that too had raise the level of saltiness.
Hi Shuni! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I apologize that I did not specify whether this “butter” is unsalted or salted. I only keep “unsalted” butter at my home, as I can salt my food depending on the dish (in FAQ, I mentioned about butter and how I salt my butter under Ingredients). Therefore 99% of my recipes say “unsalted butter” (except for 5 recipes). When I wrote this recipe, I wasn’t careful enough and I wrote just butter. I’m very sorry for my mistake.
Every brand and type of miso has different saltiness, so it’s nothing to do with miso from Hokkaido. It’s good to test the miso how salty it is when you buy a brand new miso so you can remember when you season (with salt or other condiments) along with miso. 🙂
Again, I apologize I didn’t specify enough.
It’s okay, Nami. I’ll definitely try again.
Oh, I thought Hokkaido miso tends to be saltier than miso from other regions.
Thanks for your reply, Nami.
Hello Nami, I don’t take any alcohol. Do you have any suggestions for replacement for sake and mirin?
Hi Lliyana! I mentioned the substitute info in pantry page. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
So good!
Thank you Zoe! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Incredible! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hi Robin! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the kind feedback. xo
This is a delicious way to prepare salmon. I loved the sauce. With the thickness of the filet I was using, it was done before I could cook it on the sides, but that didn’t take away from the taste, texture or appearance.
Hi Regan! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a few times now because it’s so quick to make and delicious. I’ve substituted the salmon for arctic char or trout depending on what’s available at the store, and I’ve also used different quick-cooking veg like asparagus and cabbage in addition to the mushrooms. All have been delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Thyna! Aww I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe and have adapted to your liking! Thanks for sharing your tip with us! Thank you for the kind feedback. 🙂
This is outstanding and so easy! I followed the directions exactly as written and produced a restaurant quality fish dish. Served with baby bok choy braised with garlic and ginger and some leftover tea-smoked duck fried rice, this was a wonderful meal. Can’t wait to make it again.
Hi Marie-Therese! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Wow your meal sounds so delicious!!! I’m so happy to hear yours came out well. Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
Very very good recipe, it is so well balanced in taste. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kyra! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and for trying my recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Konnichiwa Namisan
My elder son says that if he were on death row, this is the meal he would choose for his last one! Totemo oishi des!
Konnichiwa Garth! I’m so happy to hear your son enjoyed this dish (and he’s funny!). It’s easy to make, so you can make it often on your meal rotation. 🙂 Domo arigato for your sweet feedback. xoxo
So delicious! I’ve made this many times by now . Both with and without the mushrooms is good- just be sure to get shiitake mushrooms and not substitute with regular button or bella (which are not worth the flavor pay off IMO). I’ve also made this gluten free for a friend using tamari and rice flour, which turned out just as good! I’m partial to the red miso for this recipe, but both red and white work well! Definitely a favorite in this house! Thank you!
Hi Kate! Thank you for trying this recipe many times! And thanks for the wonderful tip on GF option and miso type! I remember you wrote a comment last year. I’m really happy this became a part of your rotation! xoxo
Nami, I clicked recipe and only see comments. Did it get deleted? I am on your mailing list. Hoping to make this recipe sometime this week. Thank you.
Hi Kathy! Thank you, some of JOC readers have been experiencing a similar situation and notified me. We’re trying to figure this out asking ad network and developer. We see our site fine, but it’s strange some people can’t see the whole page not only this recipe but other pages as well.
Do you have any issues with just this page or other pages?
I’ll email you the miso butter salmon recipe. I apologize for the inconvenience you’re experiencing.
Can you freeze the miso butter salmon meal?
Hi Myra! Sure, you can do that. 🙂
Love your food. Simple recipes n I can manage 💗
Hi Lani! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Made this for dinner (along with ginger rice and Japanese potato salad) and my sister was very impressed. Such a rich, creamy sauce that compliments the mushrooms especially well.
As always, thanks Nami!
Hi Julia! Aww I’m so glad to hear you and your sister enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
We made these when the folks came over and it was a hit. Don’t skimp on the mushrooms and let the sauce work its magic! Thank you for a great recipe 🙂
Hi Jean! I’m glad everyone enjoyed this dish. Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
I always love miso. Previously the only thing I did was miso soup with different ingredients. When I saw this recipe, I quickly tried it. Oh it was so delicious; my family loved it so much! I love the simple flavour of butter and miso with salmon – and I didn’t have any mushrooms. It was simply delicious goodness – just eat with rice. I cooked it a second time a few weeks later but not in a pan but in an airfryer (after marinating the salmon in a ziplock bag for a few hours). Equally satisfying! Thanks, Nami. Hope you are feeling better already. Get well soon!
Hi Pauline! Yay! Thank you for letting me know about air fryer experience (as I don’t own one). I have a lot of miso recipes. Hope you enjoy them. Oh, don’t forget to try Miso Butter Cookies too. 🙂
You bet. I’ve tried miso butter cookies. Unique and savoury taste. I find that adding miso to the dough made the cookie less crunchy. My colleague liked it. My family and I prefer the matcha cookies as they stay crunchy longer. 🍪
Hope you are feeling better. Miso the dog 🐕🦺is very cute. What a joy to watch you and your family taking such good care of him. ❤️
Hi Pauline! Thanks so much for trying the miso butter cookies! Thanks for following my Instagram. 🙂
This miso salmon was so good!
Hi Kenna! I’m so glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for trying it. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I made this for dinner tonight with rice and veggies, it was delicious! The salmon was very moist and the mushrooms were perfect.
Hi Hilla! Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Cooked this tonight and added broccoli. This was so delicious and super easy to make! We don’t eat seafood or meat that often. Do you think this recipe would be good with tofu?
Hi RS! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for your kind feedback. I would still coat the tofu with flour so the sauce will get thicken. Make sure to drain the tofu well by pressing it. 🙂
Drain tofu like this: https://www.justonecookbook.com/agedashi-tofu-2/
I think this is the best salmon recipe I’ve ever made. I’m really not kidding. My husband also thought it was delicious. The salmon came out perfectly and was neither undercooked nor dry. The sauce is amazing, and the mushrooms go so well with it. I couldn’t find shimeji mushrooms, so I just used extra shiitake. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Hope!
Thank you so much for trying this recipe. We’re glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this Salmon!
Thank you for your kind feedback.
This has turned into one of my favorite dishes, I stopped counting how many times I’ve cooked this and it always turns out amazing!!
Since i can’t get my hands on fresh salmon, I use frozen salmon filets without skin as well as champignions. I once had to use hatcho miso for lack of alternatives, which resulted in a very strong and earthy taste but it was still amazing – in that moment exactly what we needed!
Hi Eli,
We are so glad to hear this has become one of your favorite dishes!
Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!😊
So this was my first time ever cooking any kind of fish and I have to say it turned out amazing! Especially the sauce, my familys only complaint was there wasn<t enough of it. Thank you for your recipies, they're easy to follow and the pictures are very helpful
Hi Diane!
Wow!🤩 Nami and we are so happy to hear we could guide you for the first time cooking fish and everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Dear Nami,
I have just tried exactly this recipe, with turkey breast instead of salmon – it turned out to be simply FANTASTIC. In my opinion natural sweetness of turkey meat pairs well with Japanese seasoning flavors. Miso and butter ARE GREAT. I liked its subtle though reach aromas way more than classical teriyaki taste.
Hi Jonathan!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed the Miso Butter flavor! It’s a magical condiment. Right? 😉
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience with us.
Nami, do you think I could skip the sake part of the recipe? My family don’t drink alcohol for religious reasons but I’m worried that it would affect the way the salmon is cooked…
Hi Sami,
Sure. You can skip the sake part of this recipe. It will still be tasty without it!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe.🙂
I don’t comment very often but I’ve tried so many of your recipes and love how healthy and flavourful they are! I’ve made this miso butter salmon so many times for my weekly rotation, it’s sooo delicious. I only had some shiitake mushrooms this time, so I added zucchini and broccoli. Still tasted good, though the mushrooms really make the butter miso flavour stand out.
If you’re still debating whether to try this recipe, JUST DO IT.
Hi Janice! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the flavor! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.☺️
this is one of my absolute favourites. I love it! I have it at least once a week