The title of this recipe sounds intimidating, I know. But there are actually only a few ingredients and it comes together rather quickly. And now that miso paste and kimchi can be found in most grocery stores (certainly all Whole Foods), you don’t even have to go out of your way to make it. I followed this recipe and found myself wishing I made extra. Making a little more than you need will come in very handy if you’re into the TikTok salmon – this goes great over rice with soy sauce, sriracha, and kewpie mayo.
Start by making your marinade: stir together 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic (I used two cloves), 2 tbsp fresh ginger (I used dried and just eyeballed an amount that looked good), and 1 tsp sesame seeds. Marinate a 1.5 lb salmon filet in the sauce on the counter for 30 min. Once the fish has soaked up that sauce for a while, broil it for 8-10 min. (NOTE: I needed longer than that to get it fully cooked. You could also bake it in the oven for 25 minutes.) While the fish marinates/cooks, combine 2 tbsp softened butter, 2 tbsp minced kimchi, and 2 tsp white miso. When the salmon comes out of the broiler/oven, immediately top it with the kimchi-miso butter and then toss a whole bunch of sliced scallions on top of that.
The butter melts over that salmon so beautifully. The marinade infuses the fish but this butter is what makes the sauce. And that butter is so beautifully balanced. The umami of the miso tones down that fermented/fizzy quality of the kimchi and the butter makes it all unctuous. I’ve always wanted to use the word unctuous and now I have. That alone makes this dish a winner.
Peaches to Apples 