In the Kitchen with Deb | Miso salmon salad with sushi rice

⅓ cup mirin

⅓ cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp grated ginger

2 tbsp white (shiro) miso paste

2 tsp caster sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

4 skinless salmon fillets

4 iceberg lettuce leaves, roughly torn

1 bunch of watercress sprigs picked

200g snow peas, trimmed and halved lengthways, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh under cold water

2 spring onions (white part only) finely chopped

2 tbsp sesame seeds, dry toasted

Miso dressing

1 tbsp white (shiro) miso paste

½ tbs light soy sauce

½ tbs rice vinegar

1 ½ tbs mirin

2 tsp grated palm sugar or 2 tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp sesame oil

Methods

In a shallow dish large enough to fit the 4 pieces of salmon, stir together the mirin, soy sauce, ginger, miso, sugar and lemon juice for a couple of minutes (lemon juice will dissolve the sugar).

Add the salmon, toss to coat, then marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes up to a maximum of 1 hour.

For the miso dressing, simply place all the ingredients in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Preheat a grill on high. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place it on a lightly oiled, non-stick ovenproof frypan or baking tray. Place under the grill for about 7 minutes or until the salmon is nicely coloured but still pink in the middle. Remove from heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, layer the iceberg lettuce and watercress in a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with the snow peas. Break up the salmon into large chunks over the salad. Drizzle with the dressing, then top with spring onions, lots of freshly ground black pepper and toasted sesame seeds.

Sushi rice

2 cups sushi rice 3 cups chicken stock (3 cups of water mixed with 2 tbsp Massel chicken stock powder) 1 ½ tbsp butter ½ bunch freshly chopped coriander to serve

I use the absorption method:

Rinse rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Use a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, add the rice and stock. Bring to the boil on medium heat, and as soon as the rice starts to boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting, place the lid on, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat off and let stand for a further 10 minutes. Take the lid off, add the butter and fluff up with a fork. Put the lid back on; it will stay warm for 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with the coriander.

Deb’s tips

Make sure you don’t marinate the fish for any longer than 1 hour, or the lemon juice in the marinade will cure the salmon too much. For the sesame seeds, in a small non-stick pan, add the sesame seeds over medium heat. Keep an eye on them, moving the pan around until they start to go golden (takes a couple of minutes).

Remove from heat and let them cool. Drizzle just a little dressing on the salmon when garnishing. You can always add more if you wish because some people like a little dressing and some like a bit more.

You can purchase mirin, white miso paste, rice wine vinegar and palm sugar from the Asian sections of the supermarkets. If you like a bit of crunch, you can also garnish the sushi rice with fried shallots. They are also available in the Asian sections of supermarkets.