Looking for a new way to serve up versatile salmon rich in omega-3 fatty acids? Try this tender and succulent Miso Butter Salmon that‘s 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 that 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.
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Miso Butter Salmon
Ingredients
For the Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp miso (I used Hikari Miso® organic mild sodium miso)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
For the Salmon
- ½ package shimeji mushrooms (2 oz, 50 g; skip or use other mushrooms)
- 2 shiitake mushrooms (1.75 oz, 50 g; skip or use other mushrooms)
- 2 fillets skin-on salmon fillets (¾ lb, 340 g)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
For the Toppings
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- For the seasonings, combine 1 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp mirin, and 1½ Tbsp soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- Finely chop some chives and cut off the stems of ½ package shimeji mushrooms. Separate the shimeji into smaller clusters with your hands.
- Cut off the stems of 2 shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice them.
- Check to see if your salmon has any bones and remove if there are any (I use a pair of fish bone tweezers). Pat dry 2 fillets skin-on salmon fillets with a paper towel and season it with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle ½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) on the salmon and thinly coat it all over. The flour will seal in the delicious salmon juices and act as a thickening agent for the sauce.
To Pan-Fry the Salmon
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Place the salmon in the pan, flesh side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Tip: You can see how far you’ve cooked by checking the color of the fish from the side of the fillet. After cooking for 5 minutes, you should see that about ¼ inch (6 mm) of the flesh has turned a lighter color from cooking. Be careful not to burn your salmon using high heat.
- Flip the fillets over so the skin side is on the bottom. Then, add the shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. Cook the skin side for 5 minutes.
- Next, cook the sides of the salmon fillets 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 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and sauté the mushrooms. Put the mushrooms on top of the salmon so the fillets absorb some of the delicious sauce.
- Add the seasonings mixture to the pan. Coat the salmon with the sauce using a spoon.
To Serve
- Transfer the salmon and mushrooms to individual plates. Spoon some pan sauce on top and garnish with the chopped chives and toasted white sesame seeds.
To Store
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
This is so yummy! I just made it for my family of 5 and everyone loved it! This will be added to the rotation. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Hi Rachel! Yey! We are so happy to hear your family loved this Miso Butter Salmon!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
Hi Nami
This is the first savoury dish we tried from your cookbook. The instructions and photos make everything so clear and easy to follow- thank you! The first time I made this I had some leftover miso butter sauce which I then used as a salad dressing. It’s delicious
We have fond memories of our visit to Japan 3 years ago and love Japanese food, and with current travel restrictions this has certainly hit the spot!
Hi Jenny! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Miso Butter Salmon!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback. Nami has many easy Japanese recipes and travel posts. Please enjoy!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/easy/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/categories/travel/
Hello my friend Nami San. I am used to making a soy sauce salmon thats delicious. But saw that it has been my main “quick’n easy” so went to look up what you had in mind.. found it, made it, and… Fantastic. So very different from any Asian sauces I’ve made (my main cuisine is asian) Its a keeper with only ½ or less of the amount of sugar for my taste. Thanks
this is one of my absolute favourites. I love it! I have it at least once a week
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.☺️
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.🙂
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.
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!
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!😊
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.
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/
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! 🙂
This miso salmon was so good!
Hi Kenna! I’m so glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for trying it. 🙂
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. 🙂
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!