Intro:
Method:
Miso Salmon:
1. Let’s begin by marinating the salmon in miso, ideally we want to marinate for at least 6 hours before cooking to really get the benefits from the miso. To make up the marinade simply in a small bowl add 2 tbsps of white miso, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 1/2 tbsp of white sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp of light soy. Whisk the miso well until smooth and the sugar has dissolved. As for the salmon I sliced each fillet in half, more so for appearance and I just prefer eating salmon fillets that way. add the miso marinade so that its coats the salmon then cover with clingfilm. Allow the salmon to marinade for at least 6 hours or overnight would be perfect.
Vegetable prep:
2. When the salmon has finished marinading we can now bring the dish together, starting with the veg prep, begin by finely dicing 1/2 white onion, finely mincing 20g of ginger, finely slicing 6 shitake mushrooms, wash and slice 1 leek and rolling and slicing 2 pak choi into a chiffonade. Place these prepped vegetables to one side for now and in a separate bowl either roughly chop or cut 4 spring onions into a fine julienne. As for the flowers you can see in the image above they are the flower from the pak choi. Completely optional, however if you can find them then simply pick off the flowers.
Braise Rice:
3. Just before we begin to cook, start off by washing the rice in a bowl and rinsing until the water becomes clear. When ready place to one side for now. Now to braising, if using claypots then simply divide all the ingredients listed into 2 for each pot. Start the braise by adding a small drizzle of cooking oil and sesame oil into each of the clay pots or in 1 pan if claypots are not an option. Place onto a medium heat then divide and add the finely sliced onion, sliced shiitake mushrooms and minced ginger. Fry for 5 minutes until fragrant and until the shiitakes start to crisp. Then add the sliced leeks and pak choi and cook for a further 2-3 minutes to soften the leeks.
4. When the vegetables have become nice and wilted, divide the rice into the claypots with the vegetables (or in 1 pan) then deglaze with 4 tbsp of light soy, 2 tbsp of dark soy, 2 tbsp hoisin, 4 tbsp mirin and 4 tbsp sake. Mix well so that the rice gets coated in both the liquids and vegetables then add 1 cup of water to each claypot (we can add more water later if needed). Bring up to a boil then when the liquid starts to boil turn the heat down to low and place a lid over the top. Allow the rice to braise for 20 minutes and whilst we wait we can now move back to the salmon.
Cooking the Miso Salmon:
5. Whilst the rice is braising we now want to grill the salmon, place onto a baking tray then use a brush to wipe off any excess marinade. As the marinade contains sugar this will burn fairly easily when grilling. When ready place under a salamander and lightly grill each side until evenly charred and just about cooked. If you do not have access to a grill then place into a hot oven set at 200°c for a few minutes until cooked. You can use a blow torch to top up the char if needed.
6. Now back to the rice, when the rice has approximately 5 minutes of cooking time left (check by tasting) we want to drizzle around the outside of the claypots or pan with sesame oil. This will enable the base of the rice to begin to crisp. When the rice is ready we are looking for a moist cooked rice yet all the liquid to have been absorbed. Remove the lid and we are ready to serve.
