Miso Salmon

Many health experts recommend a diet that incorporates fish. Fish is also a key ingredient in the famous Mediterranean diet. But when it comes to buying fish, things get a little confusing. You can’t just buy any fish. Experts recommend buying fish that is high in omega-3s and low in omega-6s. If you know what to look for, this can be simple.
We are in the middle of salmon season and wild salmon is one of the best fish you can buy. Wild salmon are sustainable. Because of their relatively smaller size, they typically are low in mercury which is a concern for some people.
The same cannot be said about farmed salmon. Sometimes labeled as Atlantic or Scottish salmon, this salmon is farmed. This is far less healthy than wild salmon. There are also environmental concerns about fish that are farmed.
To help navigate the world of fish buying, we turned to the experts. As manager of the Saturday Old Town and Wednesday Canyon Country farmers markets, we searched all of Southern California for a solution. We are proud to have brought in West Coast Seafood to both of our markets. These folks have over 40 years experience in the seafood industry and have access to some of the best fish you can get.
During salmon season, they will have several types of salmon from California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Their signature salmon however is a wild caught salmon out of Sitka, Alaska. It is available fresh when salmon is in season and frozen the rest of the year. We have never tasted better salmon. The salmon is sushi grade, meaning you can eat it raw or cooked.
Once you get your fish, it is time to cook it. We are surprised at the number of people that are nervous about cooking seafood or have no experience at all. It actually is quite easy. This issue, we present a great recipe that is easy to throw together. We also will tell you how to easily cook your salmon.
When cooking fish, one of our most important tools is a good insta-read thermometer. We recommend the Thermapen brand. This is a high quality thermometer that we use in cooking all sorts of meats, vegetables and more. Fish does not like to be overcooked, so cooking to temperature is important.
Salmon is versatile enough to be cooked in a pan, oven or even on the grill. For this recipe, we are going to tell you how to cook it in a pan. This is probably the simplest way to cook it. Any pan will work though we prefer traditional cast iron.
The most important thing to remember is not to be intimidated. This is really quite easy and difficult to screw up. If the fish is a little undercooked, you can just throw it back in the pan. Alternatively, you can just eat it because this fish is sushi grade and can be eaten raw. Most importantly, wherever you buy your fish, always remember to search for wild caught fish and buy from a real fishmonger who knows their product.
This miso salmon recipe will give you fish that has an amazing taste and can be served with a simple salad, rice or just about any side dish you can think of.

Ingredients:
3 T Miso paste
1 T Sake (optional)
1 T Soy sauce
1 T Mirin
½ t Salt
Green onions (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Cut up salmon filet into individual servings if necessary. It will marinade quicker this way. Combine all ingredients except green onions into a bowl and mix well. Pour mixture into a container and add the fish so that the fish is covered in the liquid. A gallon Ziploc bag works well for this. Allow fish to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours but not more than 8 hours.
Place a pan that will hold all of the fish onto your stove over medium high heat adding about one tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan. Once the pan is heated up and the oil is lightly smoking, add the fish top side down (if it has skin, skin side up).
Carefully flip the salmon after about 3 minutes and reduce heat to low. Allow the salmon to cook uncovered for about 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove the salmon from the pan when the internal temperature is about 115° though you can adjust this for personal tastes. If you do not have a thermometer, the fish is ready to eat once it easily flakes with a fork.
Extra marinade can be poured over the fish and the fish topped with green onions for appearance.

The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market operates every Saturday from 8:30 until 1pm in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall library. The Canyon Country Farmers Market operates every Wednesday from 4pm until 8pm in the parking lot of the Canyon Country Community Center. Both markets are certified farmers markets and operate year round, rain or shine. The markets can be found on Facebook, Instagram or at www.newhallfarmersmarket.com and www.canyoncountryfarmersmarket.com.

Comments