Food 2025-06-16 10:02:05

Slow-Roasted Miso Salmon

Want to know my secret weapon for flavor-packed, flawless salmon that comes out perfectly every single time? It involves a simple miso marinade (that doubles as a sauce!) and a simple slow-roasting technique.

This marinade is quite possibly the best reason to keep a small container of umami-rich miso paste in the fridge. Combined with a few pantry ingredients, it gives the salmon an ultra-rich, savory flavor and glossy top. The slow-roasting cooking technique promises the most tender salmon you can make, and it’s also practically impossible to overcook.

A Foolproof Way to Cook Salmon

If you’re new to cooking salmon or have ever felt intimidated by making this rich-tasting fish at home, slow-roasting is the best cooking method for you. Keeping the oven temperature low — at a mere 250°F, to be exact — and extending the cooking time makes it nearly impossible to overcook the fish. You can expect a perfectly flaky salmon fillet with an impossibly delicious and tender center every time — and none of that strong fishy taste.

The best way to check if the fish is done is by inserting the tines of a fork into the thickest part of the fillet. In addition to an opaque color, the telltale sign of doneness is that the flesh separates and flakes easily. If the inside of the flesh still looks soft and a little gooey, you’ll want to give it a few more minutes to cook, then check again.

Salmon fillet in miso marinade with ginger, green onions, and sesame seeds on a white surface.

Prep time30 minutes

Cook time 25 minutes to 35 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup white miso paste
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pound skin-on salmon fillet, pin bones removed
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Place the miso paste, mirin, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and salt in a small, broiler-safe baking dish just large enough to hold the salmon. Whisk until the miso is well-combined and the sugar is dissolved. Place the salmon in the marinade skin-side up. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while you arrange an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiling element and heat the oven to 250°F.
Use a wide spatula to carefully flip the salmon over so it’s skin-side down in the baking dish.
Bake until the salmon is opaque pink in the center, cooked through, and flakes easily, 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Check the fillet at 25 minutes by inserting the tines of a fork into the thickest part of the fillet and gently pull. If the fish is soft and flakes easily, then it is done. If it is still gooey and if the fork is difficult to pull out, bake the salmon for 5 more minutes and check again.
Remove the salmon from the oven, turn the oven to broil, and heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Return the salmon to the the oven and broil until lightly charred in spots on the top and around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.