The sweet umami-packed deliciousness of the miso-marinated salmon and the grilled miso butter corn is balanced with fresh asparagus and roasted red pepper. Top with a soft poached egg for a touch of velvety decadence.
Some food combinations seem to inherently just work. Salmon, asparagus, and runny egg yolk is one such combination. The miso’s sweet complexity balanced with the citrus from the ponzu dressing transformed this classic combination into something even more delectable. While it had elements of familiarity, it was different in an intoxicating sort of way.
Yellow miso and red miso have different characteristics. Both yellow and red are specified here for the miso butter corn and the miso-marinated salmon. Yellow miso is sweeter, whereas red miso is saltier and a little more “funky”. The combination is a perfect balance for the natural sweetness of the vegetables.
The instructions say to poach the eggs. I have tried to get good at poaching eggs—I really have. Given the number of YouTube videos on this topic, it would appear I am not the only one. More recently, I have started using a sous-vide device to soft boil eggs – onsen style. Works very well, as with this simple but delectable onsen tomago—no need to poach an egg again.
You can buy ponzu online or at your local Asian market (if you have one). But preparing from raw ingredients is always the first option. You might have to think a couple of days ahead, but the actual hands-on prep time is minimal.
Miso marinated salmon and miso butter corn. Ponzu dressing and poached egg
Ingredients
Miso butter corn
- 2 cobs of corn
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp yellow miso (shiro miso)
- 1 Tbsp red miso (aka miso) or use an extra Tbsp of yellow miso if you cannot get red miso.
- 3 Tbsp butter unsalted
Ponzu dressing
- 3/4 cup yuzu juice or grapefruit juice, or a mix of equal parts lime and orange juice
- 3/4 cup soy sauce get a good quality one
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 20 g kombu about 10cm x 10 cm
- 10 g katsuboshi also known as dried bonita flakes
- 2 tsp yuzu kosho optional
Miso marinated salmon
- 800 g salmon fillets
- 1 Tbsp yellow miso (Shiro miso)
- 1 Tbsp red miso (Aka miso) or use an extra Tbsp of yellow miso if you cannot get red miso.
- 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
Others
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 4 fresh eggs
- Butter and olive oil for roasting and sautéing.
Instructions
Vegetables and eggs
- Preheat the oven to 200 degC.
- Quarter and trim the red pepper.
- Smear with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Dice the red pepper into 10 cm square pieces.
- Soak corn cobs in water for 15 minutes then drain.
- Coat corn with olive oil and parsley and wrap in foil.
- Bake about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Combine 3 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp of miso.
- Take corn from the oven and unwrap. Coat with miso butter, return to the oven and grill until the miso caramelises, turning occasionally.
- Allow to cool a little then remove the kernels from the cobs.
- Trim the lower third of the asparagus (or bend until it breaks, which will normally be about a third up from the bottom). Blanch the trimmed stalks and keep in the freezer for your next stock.
- Poach the eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep cool until ready to plate. Keep a pot of hot water ready to reheat the poached eggs.
Miso marinated salmon
- Remove skin and pin bones.
- Combine the marinade ingredients then place into a bowl together with the salmon, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Remove the salmon from the marinade.
- Grill or broil the salmon fillets on both sides until reaching an internal temperature of 53 degC.
- Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch.
Ponzu dressing
- Sterilise a glass jar and lid in boiling water.
- Add all the ingredients to the jar and mix well. Add the lid.
- Allow to steep in the refrigerator for a couple of days or up to a week.
- Alternatively, if time is short, allow the ingredients to steep for an hour, then bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Drain the ponzu sauce through a fine strainer and it is ready to use.
Assembly
- Flake the salmon fillets and distribute to 4 plates, spreading around a bit so that it will form a base for the vegetables.
- Stir fry the asparagus in olive oil until bright green and still crisp.
- Toss the corn kernels, diced red pepper, and asparagus together and spread on top of the flaked salmon.
- Reheat the poached eggs in the pot of hot water, then transfer to the top of the corn and asparagus layer.
- Drizzle with ponzu dressing.
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