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japanese · weeknight · air-fryer

Miso-Marinated Salmon, Broiled

# Marinade comes together in 2 minutes. Longer marinate (a few hours # to overnight) deepens the flavor but 20 min on the counter is fine. # Broiler is faster + more forgiving than baking for this. # # 2026-04-27: cooked from the 2026-04-23 plan — worked well. # 2026-06-16: switched to air fryer as the default method (broiler kept as # a fallback). Line the basket — miso sticks and scorches. # 2026-06-20: cooked again from the 6/16 plan — second time, still a reliable # quick weeknight.

Time
20 min
Serves
2
Effort
Low

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon fillets, skin-on (about 5–6 oz each)
  • 2 Tbsp white miso (or a mix of white + red)
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 Tbsp sake (or dry white wine, or water + pinch of sugar)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • Optional: 1 tsp sugar if your miso is on the salty side
  • Scallion, thinly sliced, to serve
  • Short-grain rice and a quick vegetable (blanched spinach, cucumber, steamed broccoli), to serve

Method

  1. Whisk miso, mirin, sake, and soy together in a small bowl or zip bag. Taste — it should be salty-sweet and a little funky. Add sugar if it reads too sharp.
  2. Coat the salmon all over. Let sit 20 minutes on the counter (or up to overnight in the fridge — wipe off excess before cooking if it marinated long).
  3. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Line the basket with foil or parchment — miso sticks and scorches — but leave the edges open so air still circulates.
  4. Place the salmon skin-side down and air-fry 7–10 minutes, depending on thickness, until the top is deeply caramelized in spots and the fish flakes. No need to flip. Watch the last couple of minutes — the miso’s sugars catch fast. (No air fryer? Broil it instead: high, rack ~6 inches down, 6–9 minutes.)
  5. Top with scallion. Serve over rice with the vegetable alongside.