Ginger Miso Glazed Salmon with Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Asian food is definitely in my top 3 favorite cuisines. I love everything with ginger, so any excuse to add it to food, I will. Any type of glazed salmon is something I make all the time, and this is one of my faves. The salty sweet miso and the ginger compliment the fish perfectly.

And we can’t forget about the cold soba noodle salad.

The crunchy veggies.

And the sesame ginger garlicky vinaigrette. I love the textures! And the hot and cold thing is awesome too and super refreshing.

I made this for my mom’s birthday dinner since Asian and salmon are both in our all time favorites!

I could eat this every day. I can’t get over how sweet and salty and gingery and caramely the glaze gets.

Yield: 4-6

Prep time: 30 min.

Cook time: 10 min.

For the soba noodles:
-3 tsp. grated fresh ginger
-1 clove garlic, finely chopped
-2 T. honey
-juice of 2 limes
-1/4 c. soy sauce
-1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
-2 T. almond butter
-2 tsp. sesame oil
-1/3 c. olive oil
-pinch of red pepper flake
-salt and pepper
-4 bundles of soba noodles (about 3/4 lb. or a little less), cooked and rinsed in cold water
-4 c. shredded napa cabbage
-2 c. mung bean sprouts
-6 scallions, thinly sliced
-2 bell peppers, julienned
-1 T. black sesame seeds
-1 T. white sesame seeds

For the salmon:
-4-6 salmon fillets (this recipe makes enough for 6 fillets + some extra)
-2 T. ginger
-3 T. brown sugar
-2 tsp. sesame oil
-2 1/2 T. mirin
-1 T. rice wine vinegar
-2 T. soy sauce
-3 T. white miso paste
-2 T. honey
-black pepper
-1 T. olive oil
-1 tsp. coconut oil (if desired..I just love the taste and health benefits, and everything coconut for that matter)

Begin by making the dressing for the soba noodle salad. Combine ginger, garlic, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, almond butter, and sesame oil, then stream in olive oil, and season with pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Combine cooked noodles that have been rinsed (I only cook mine for 4-5 minutes. They can get sticky and overcooked very quickly), with the napa cabbage, bean sprouts, scallions, and bell peppers. Once combined, pour in dressing and sesame seeds and toss again with tongs to combine. Chill the noodles in the refrigerator until ready to serve with salmon.
For the salmon, begin by making the glaze mixture. Combine ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, miso, honey, and pepper to taste. Whisk together until smooth.

Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium/high heat with olive oil and coconut oil. Sear salmon fillets, about 2-4 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are. They should develop a nice golden brown color. Then, reduce heat to medium, and add spoonfuls of the glaze over the fillets, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per fillet, and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, turning once until glaze reduces a bit and gets a bit more caramel-y in color. Remove from heat.

Arrange a mound of the soba noodle salad on a plate, and serve with a salmon fillet on top, an additional spoonful of glaze from the pan, and additional chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish if desired. Enjoy!

And eat the soba salad for lunch the next day! This recipe makes a ton and keeps super well! Very healthy also. If you have extra glaze, spoon it over the salad too!