Miso Maple Glazed Salmon

My baked Miso Maple Glazed Salmon is the perfect quick and easy, healthy dinner that the whole family will love!  It's simple, delicious, and packed with nutrients. Plus, it can be made in under 20 minutes!  

Once fall rolls around and my kids are back in school, our evenings become much busier. Because time is so precious during the week, I usually don't want to spend hours in the kitchen making dinner. That’s why I like to keep an arsenal of quick and easy recipes that I can turn to on busy weeknights.

Some of my favorite quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes are my Bang Bang Salmon Bites, Quick & Easy Canned Tuna Pasta, and Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles.

Now, I have another great recipe to add to that list- my Miso Maple Salmon. It’s a restaurant-quality dish that's easy to make at home. Not only is it a healthy and delicious salmon recipe, it can be prepared in in a snap!

Jump to:

• What is Miso Glazed Salmon?
• Ingredients
• Miso Salmon Glaze
• How to Make Miso Maple Glazed Salmon Step-By-Step
• What to Serve With This Dish
• Recipe FAQs
• More Seafood Recipes:
• Recipe
• Reviews

What is Miso Glazed Salmon?

My Miso Maple Glazed Salmon is a simplified version of the classic miso glazed black cod made famous by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa at his NY restaurant Nobu many years ago.

The first time I tried the dish, I fell in love with the tender, flaky fish and the complex flavors of the miso marinade. 

Although it's delicious, the original dish requires three days of marinating! However, my version takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

I like to use salmon in this dish rather than cod as it’s readily available at the market.  Salmon is also one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which have numerous health benefits.

Salmon is a lean protein that's also rich in many vitamins and minerals. To read all about the health benefits of this superfood, read my post on salmon. 

Fish really is brain food! It's packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are especially important for brain health and heart health. Our bodies don’t make omega-3s so we must get them from our diet.

Ingredients

• Salmon fillets- you can use salmon with or without skin
• Miso paste (any type)- white, yellow or red (I have made this dish with both red and white miso)
• Pure maple syrup- I like using maple syrup to sweeten the miso glaze- it complements the miso nicely. You can substitute honey or agave.
• Rice vinegar- adds acidity
• Low sodium soy sauce- use tamari if you want to keep this recipe gluten free
• Sesame oil - adds a pleasant nutty flavor

Miso Salmon Glaze

To make the miso salmon glaze, I use miso paste, which is a Japanese fermented soybean paste. The miso paste forms a deliciously sticky-sweet glaze that coats the fish as it cooks.

Miso has a deeply rich, savory flavor that adds tons of flavor to dishes. It's the epitome of umami, the fifth basic taste (in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter).

There are many different types of miso paste available including white, yellow, and red. You can really use any of them in this recipe. The darker varieties will give the dish a richer color and flavor.

I used red miso paste in most of the photos in this post. However, the picture above is the same Miso Maple Salmon dish using yellow miso paste.

You can buy miso paste online or find it in specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods. Don't be afraid to buy a container of it to make this dish. One of the great things about miso is that it pretty much keeps forever in the refrigerator!

Use any extra miso to add a pop of flavor to your dishes. Try my Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sheet Pan Miso Chicken or Miso Roasted Rainbow Carrots. 

Doctor's Tip: Miso paste is not only packed with flavor, it's packed with nutrients too! It's a complete source of protein and is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals. It's also packed with probiotics. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that may help maintain good digestive health.

How to Make Miso Maple Glazed Salmon Step-By-Step

• Step 1- Make the miso maple glaze by whisking the miso paste in a bowl with maple syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. 
  • Although maple syrup is not a traditional Asian ingredient, I find the rich maple flavor to be the perfect complement to the salty miso paste. It’s a flavor explosion!
• Step 2- Place the salmon on a sheet pan and brush the miso maple soy glaze on top.   
• Step 3- Pop the sheet pan in the oven and cook at 425°F until the salmon is just cooked through. At the end, I like to place the salmon under the broiler briefly to get a slight char on top. 
  • I like to garnish this delicious maple soy salmon with sesame seeds and scallions just before serving.  A healthy gourmet meal in under 20 minutes- it doesn't get much better than that!

What to Serve With This Dish

You can serve this salmon with steamed jasmine or brown rice and a vegetable. For some other side dish ideas, try my Quinoa Fried "Rice," or Cold Sesame Noodles.

I also like to serve this dish with a vegetable on the side. Try my Sesame Roasted Broccoli, Miso Roasted Rainbow Carrots or Perfect Air Fryer Asparagus.

Recipe FAQs

Not sure if your salmon is past its prime? Read my post on How To Tell If Salmon Has Gone Bad so that you can always enjoy this delicious fish at its best!

More Seafood Recipes:

Recipe