Miso Butter Salmon with Ginger Rice & Garlic Veggies

When I cook for dinner, I like to make a couple dishes—one protein and one veggie, and sometimes a bowl of rice to go with it. However, I’ve found that recipes are never written in a way that combines multiple dishes into a full meal so there I’ll be clicking back and forth between multiple tabs to figure out what I need to do for each dish, piecing them all together in my head to try to figure out the most efficient way to tackle them and how to time them perfectly so that they all finish at the same time. It’s a bit of a juggling act and can get stressful when there are multiple pans going at the same time.

Even before any of that occurs, I have to figure out what dishes go well together beforehand so that I can plan accordingly. Choice and flexibility to mix and match dishes are great, but sometimes I just want someone I trust to tell me step-by-step what I need to do to make a full meal without having to do the additional planning myself. That was one thing I appreciated about meal kit delivery services like HelloFresh and Blue Apron back when I tried them. Their recipe cards showed me how to prepare a full meal from scratch, all in one place. Inspired by that concept, I wanted to try it out.

Here I’m showing you one of my favorite meals that combines 3 different dishes—Miso Butter Salmon, Garlic Stir Fry Veggies and Ginger Rice. 2 of these recipes are from Just One Cookbook, my favorite destination for Japanese home cooking and I’ve linked to the original source so you can learn more about them. I take zero credit for her recipes but wanted to put them altogether in one place for you, hoping it can make it easier for you to follow as well!

I realized once I put them altogether it can look a little intimidating but it’s really not that bad! It’s mostly just mixing ingredients together to make a sauce. Trust me, it’s worth it and takes less than an hour!

Miso Butter Salmon with Ginger Rice & Garlic Veggies

Total Time: 40 mins
(Prep: 25 mins / Cook: 15 mins)
Serving Size: 2

Appliances Needed:
- Rice cooker

Ingredients:
Ginger Rice:
- 1 cup uncooked short-grain rice
- 1 piece deep-fried tofu pouch (optional)
- 2-inch piece young ginger (use slightly less for regular ginger)
- 7/8 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sake (or rice wine)
- 1/2 tablespoon mirin
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Garlic Stir Fry Veggies:
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 lb yu choy sum (or bok choy or napa cabbage)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup water

Miso Butter Salmon:
- 2 salmon fillets (4 oz each)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 packs shimeji mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon miso
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon sake (or rice wine)
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced for garnish)
- Toasted white sesame seeds (for garnish)


Instructions:

1. Start with the rice since it’ll take the longest. Rinse the dry short-grain rice until the water is clear and drain well. Add to your rice cooker.

2. Rinse the deep fried tofu pouch (aburaage), if using, under hot water. Slice thinly and add on top of the rice.

3. Remove the skin of the ginger and julienne (cut into really thin strips). Add on top of the rice.

4. Mix together the seasoning for the rice (1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon sake, 1/2 tablespoon mirin, 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, 7/8 cup water) and pour into the rice cooker.

5. Choose the ‘Mixed Rice’ option if you have one. Press start.

6. Next, move onto prepping the ingredients for the veggies and salmon. Wash and clean the yu choy sum. Separate the leaves if using bok choy or napa cabbage. Wash the shimeji mushrooms and remove the stem. Thinly slice the green onion. Remove the skin on the garlic cloves and gently smash them with the flat part of your knife.

7. Combine the sauce for the salmon (1 tablespoon miso, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons sake, 1 tablespoon mirin and 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce) in a small bowl.

8. Pat dry the salmon fillets with a paper towel. Season both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

9. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour on the salmon and thinly coat the salmon on all sides.

10. Now you’re ready to cook! Heat two pans over medium heat. Use a flat pan for the salmon and a deeper pan or wok for the veggies. Heat some cooking oil in both pans (I use olive oil).

11. When the pans are hot enough, add your garlic cloves into the deeper pan until they turn slightly brown. You can move them around every once in a while.

12. Add your vegetables with the garlic. Careful, the water from the veggies mixed with the hot oil will cause some splatter. Use a wooden spoon to coat the veggies with the garlic infused oil.

13. Meanwhile, place the salmon in the other pan with skin side up. Cook for 5 minutes without moving.

14. When the salmon is cooking, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 1/2 cup of water to your veggies. Cover and lower heat to medium-low. This will steam your veggies.

15. When it’s time, flip the salmon and add your shimeji mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.

16. Then cook the sides of your salmon for 30 seconds to 1 minute each.

17. Add the butter and saute the mushrooms with your salmon. Baste the salmon with the melted butter and mushrooms.

18. Add the sauce you made in step 7 to your salmon and continue to baste the salmon for 30 seconds. The sauce should start to thicken.

19. Transfer the salmon and mushrooms and garnish with green onions and toasted white sesame seeds.

20. The veggies should be done by now. Check that you can pierce through easily with a fork.

21. The ginger rice should have been done as well. Fluff up the rice and serve.

Notes:
1. There is more room for error for the veggies so definitely pay more attention to the salmon.
2. Depending on what veggies you use, cooking times may vary. Generally yu choy sum takes longer than napa cabbage or bok choy. I like to check on them as the salmon is cooking and turn off the heat earlier if they're ready.
3. I normally don't have sake at home but always have Chinese rice wine handy, which makes a good substitute.