Sesame-Crusted Salmon Recipe with Miso-Shallot Salad

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Photo By Antonis Achilleos
Sesame seeds add a nutty crunchiness to this Sesame-Crusted Salmon recipe.

I devised the salad for this dish after enjoying a classic Japanese vinaigrette, which is made from miso plus onion. Shallots, with their hint of garlic, are a better onion for the job and, combined with the miso, create a vinaigrette of delicious depth. The sesame seeds add not only crunch to the salmon but also a tasty nuttiness. For more one-pot recipes, read the original article, One-Pot Meals for Quick, Healthy Cooking.

Sesame-Crusted Salmon Recipe with Miso-Shallot Salad

• 4 tablespoons shiro miso
• 2 large shallots, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon togarashi or chile pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup ponzu or naturally brewed rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 cup grapeseed or canola oil, plus 1 tablespoon for the pan
• Four 6- to 8-ounce skinless salmon fillets
• Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup untoasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 pound arugula, washed and well dried
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1. In a blender, combine miso, shallots, togarashi, sugar, lemon juice, ponzu and sesame oil, and blend on high speed until smooth. With blender still running, slowly drizzle in the cup of grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer half to a cruet or measuring cup with a spout and set aside. (Store the rest in an airtight container, refrigerated, for later use. It will last one week.)

2. Season salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Place sesame seeds on a large plate and press salmon into them on both sides.

3. Add reserved tablespoon of oil to a large sauté pan, swirl to coat bottom, and heat over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add salmon and sauté, turning once, until salmon is rare, 4 minutes, or cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. (If sesame seeds seem to be browning too quickly, turn fillets on their sides; they’ll continue to cook.) Transfer salmon to a cutting surface and cut it into 1/4-inch slices.

4. In a large bowl, combine arugula, tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of the miso vinaigrette and toss. Transfer salad to a  platter or divide among four individual serving plates. Top with salmon, drizzle on additional vinaigrette, and serve. Sesame-Crusted Salmon with Miso-Shallot Salad serves 4.

Ming’s Tip

To make blending possible, this recipe yields twice the vinaigrette it requires. But you’ll definitely want extra on hand to toss with other salads. For that reason, I always recommend making double quantities of vinaigrette.


Adapted from Simply Ming: One-Pot Mealsby Ming Tsai and Arthur Boehm.

  • Published on Dec 7, 2012
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