Miso Salmon on Sautéed Spinach (Printable version)

Crispy miso-glazed salmon with tender sautéed spinach and ginger. A quick, nutritious Japanese-inspired dinner ready in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Miso Salmon

01 - 4 salmon fillets, 5.3 oz each, skin-on or skinless
02 - 2 tablespoons white miso paste
03 - 1 tablespoon mirin or dry sherry
04 - 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
05 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
06 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
07 - 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

→ For the Sautéed Spinach

08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
09 - 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
10 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienned
12 - 14 oz fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
13 - 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
14 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste
15 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together miso paste, mirin, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and grated ginger until smooth and well combined.
03 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Place them on the prepared baking tray. Brush generously with the miso glaze, coating evenly on all sides.
04 - Bake salmon for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just cooked through and lightly caramelized on top.
05 - While the salmon bakes, heat olive or sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, and julienned ginger. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
06 - Add spinach in batches, stirring constantly until just wilted. Season with soy sauce and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
07 - Divide sautéed spinach among serving plates, top each portion with miso-glazed salmon, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The miso glaze caramelizes into something almost sweet and savory at once, making plain salmon feel fancy without extra fuss.
  • Everything finishes in 30 minutes, so you can pull this off on a Tuesday when energy is low but dinner needs to happen.
  • Spinach wilts into this golden, ginger-perfumed mass that somehow makes vegetables feel like the main event, not an obligation.
02 -
  • Wet salmon doesn't absorb glaze—patting fillets dry before brushing is the difference between a glaze that sticks and one that just slides off and burns on the pan.
  • Don't overcrowd the skillet with spinach or it steams instead of sautéing; work in batches and give each handful room to breathe and wilt properly.
  • The glaze can caramelize fast and turn bitter, so keep an eye on the oven and pull the salmon out the moment it's cooked through, not a minute longer.
03 -
  • Make the glaze up to a day ahead and store it in the fridge; brushing cold glaze onto room-temperature salmon actually gives you more control over how much caramelizes.
  • If your oven runs hot, start checking the salmon at 9 minutes rather than waiting the full 10 to 12, because the difference between perfectly cooked and dry is genuinely about 90 seconds.
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