Miso Butter Salmon Pasta (Printable)

Savory salmon and miso butter sauce blend with pasta and crisp bok choy for a flavorful dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 14 oz skinless salmon fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Pasta

02 - 10 oz linguine or spaghetti

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 heads baby bok choy, chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 scallions, sliced (for garnish)

→ Sauce

06 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 2 tbsp white miso paste
08 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
09 - 2 tbsp mirin
10 - ⅓ cup heavy cream
11 - 1 tsp sesame oil
12 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

13 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
14 - Lemon wedges

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tbsp butter and sesame oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03 - Add salmon pieces to the skillet and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes per side until just cooked through. Remove salmon and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Whisk in white miso paste, soy sauce, and mirin until smooth.
05 - Pour in heavy cream and add black pepper. Stir to combine, then add chopped bok choy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.
06 - Return salmon to skillet and gently toss to coat with sauce.
07 - Add drained pasta to skillet, tossing together and incorporating reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky consistency.
08 - Plate immediately, garnishing with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce tastes like something you'd spend fifty dollars on at a restaurant, but it takes twenty minutes and costs a fraction of that.
  • Salmon cooks so gently in that miso butter that it stays impossibly tender, nothing like overcooked fish.
  • It feels fancy enough for guests but easy enough that you're not stressed while they're arriving.
02 -
  • Whisk the miso into the butter first before adding cream, or it can get lumpy and bitter—a small thing that changes everything.
  • The pasta water is not just a backup plan; a little starch is what transforms the sauce from good to restaurant-quality silky.
  • Don't overcook the salmon; it keeps cooking slightly even after you remove it from heat, and overcooked fish can't be fixed.
03 -
  • Make the sauce while the pasta cooks so everything finishes at the same time—timing is everything with this dish.
  • If you want heat, a pinch of chili flakes added when the garlic hits the pan transforms the whole flavor profile into something with an edge.
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