Friends, if you’re grilling burgers or chicken once (or twice) a week like me, you may be ready for another easy summer supper. This miso-marinated grilled salmon is my new favorite go-to. It’s delicious, relatively low in fat, and offers an amazing 47 grams of protein per serving.
Start with a clean grill grate. Don’t just give your grill a casual swipe with the metal scrubby thing — really clean it. Then apply a sheen of high-heat oil, like canola or peanut, to the cold grill to help prevent the fish from sticking.
I buy a large piece of salmon and cut it into serving sizes after cooking, because it’s much easier to flip one large piece of fish rather than four to six individual fillets. It takes 2 pounds of salmon to feed my family of voracious eaters. If you are entertaining reasonable appetites, 6 ounces of salmon per person should be sufficient.
Keep your meat thermometer handy, and cook by internal temperature, rather than time. At 110 degrees, the salmon will be rare. For a perfect medium, wait until it hits 125 degrees. If the salmon develops little white bubbles on the surface, you’ve overcooked the salmon to a temperature above 140 degrees. The bubbles aren’t fat. They are albumin, which is a totally harmless protein. The fish may be a little dry, but still perfectly edible.
The best part of this recipe is the miso-based marinade. You can find miso in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. This gift of salty umami goodness pairs with honey and soy sauce to infuse the salmon with both sweet and savory flavors. It’s so tasty, you may even use it to marinate chicken.
Credit: Kellie Hynes
Credit: Kellie Hynes
Credit: Kellie Hynes
Credit: Kellie Hynes
- 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame or canola oil, plus more to oil the grill grate
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 pounds salmon, skin on
- Whisk the miso, honey, water, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into an 11-by-7-inch baking dish. Nestle the salmon, skin-side up, in the marinade. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Lightly oil the grill grate and prepare the grill for indirect heat, with hot coals or gas flames on half of the grill.
- Remove the salmon from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place the salmon skin-side down on the hot side of the grill. Cook until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the salmon, skin-side down, to the cool side of the grill, cover the grill, and continue to cook until the thickest part of the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees for medium. Allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 4: 328 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 47 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 11 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 168 milligrams cholesterol, 399 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
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