miso salmon belly

I just discovered salmon belly the other day at Ranch 99 Asian market, and now I’m hooked. This is literally the bacon of the salmon. It’s full of really delicious fat, so it melts in your mouth and tastes like butter. Find some and try it. I’ve only seen it at big Asian markets, but you might find it at specialty markets. If you can’t find it, then get some fillets with the most amount of fat you can find. The thin part of the fillet is pretty much the salmon belly.

I marinated it in miso paste for 4 hours, which added the perfect amount of salt. Served with a very simple stir fry. The key to stir fry is to add the vegetables in order of cook time. Mushrooms and carrots take longer, so they go in first. Fragile veg and herbs go in a few minutes before serving. All you have to do is keep adding in more veg as it cooks.

Recipe for 2 servings:

• 1 pound salmon belly or salmon fillets
• 4 tablespoons miso paste
• 2 baby bok choy
• 1 carrot
• 1 handful shitake mushrooms
• 1 stick celery
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce or oyster sauce (optional)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• thumb size piece fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• coconut or olive oil

1. Add miso paste to 3 cups of water and add salmon. Marinate 4-8 hours.
2. Dice mushrooms and add to pan with minimal oil on medium heat. Cook 4 minutes.
3. Add chopped celery, carrots, minced ginger, and minced garlic.
4. Add sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce and fish sauce. Cook 3 minutes
5. Add bok choy and cook for another 4 minutes.
6. Add a touch of water if it starts to dry out. just a touch.
7. Just barely cover the bottom of a pan with the miso marinade and add the salmon. Cook for a few minutes in the marinade on medium low. It will technically poach the fish in the liquid. Flip and cook until done.