Miso Glazed Salmon with Chinese Butter Fruit Dressing

Inspiration for this dish came from another recipe that at first blush might look very similar, Broiled Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce, found here.  Aside from the titular ingredients being alike, the two recipes are very different in terms of the flavors, textures and degree of unami (a Japanese word that describes an indescribable savoriness).  

"Butter Fruit," or 黄油水果 in simplified Chinese, is what we know as an avocado.  As recently reported in the Financial Times, "Avocado imports soar as China develops a taste for butter fruit..unheard of a few years ago...driven by demand from its burgeoning health-conscious middle-class...."

I honestly cannot cite the source of either of these recipes because they are an amalgamation of several I found in my research along with last minute alterations based on available ingredients and instinct.  The key to making this dish is having ripe avocados and fresh salmon, and time for the marinade to work its magic and for the dressing flavors to meld and marry.  You can get all the prep work done in advance and then actual preparation of the dish at the last minute is easy and takes very little effort to produce dramatic results.  It's therefore a great dish to consider if you're having company over for dinner.

Americans don't know very much about miso.  Some people know it by ordering miso soup, which is common in Japanese and Sushi restaurants as an appetizer.  Others may have had miso salad dressing without really knowing what it was.  And as a cooking ingredient, westerners know relatively little about miso and there is a lot to know.  

The basic ingredients of miso are fermented soy beans with salt and a grain such as rice, wheat or barley.  But that's like saying beer is made from water, hops, yeast and grains like rice, wheat or barley. No two beers taste alike because the grains used, the ratio of recipe ingredients and the fermenting and aging processes are all widely variable. The same holds true for miso.  The flavor range of miso can be fruity, sweet, savory, salty or earthy. And also like beer, miso can come in a variety of colors like white, red, yellow and brown, with lighter colors denoting lighter flavors and conversely, darker colors having a heavier, heartier tang.

In my case, I used a miso product that comes in a convenient pouch with an easily removed and reusable cap, called Smart Miso.  It’s made in Japan and comes in various blends.  I decided on one that was labeled "Full Bodied/Dark Aged" made from Soy and Rice.  Based on comments from my dinner guests and My Number One Fan, I'd say I made the correct decision.

My recipe is for four people, however, my inexperience with the dressing caused me to have quite a lot left over.  So, I have modified the recipe here that should adequately accommodate four people without a surplus.

Ingredients
For the Miso Glazed Salmon
4 6-oz fresh salmon filets, skinned
1/4 cup dark, full bodied miso paste (like, Smart Miso)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman)
2 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar (like, Marukan)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 finely chopped green onion
toasted sesame seeds for garnish
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)

Ingredients
For the Chinese Butter Fruit Dressing
1 ripe avocado, seeded and pulp removed
1/3 cup mayonnaise (like, Kraft)
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar (like, Marukan)
1 tbsp Asian chili-garlic sauce (like, Huy Fong)
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp avocado oil
1/4 tsp powdered ginger

The Recipes
First, make the marinade.
In a small mixing bowl, add the miso paste, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and sesame oil. Whisk until combined. Add the salt, pepper and chopped green onion and mix well. Place your salmon filets in a zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Remove as much air as possible from the bag allowing the fish to come completely in contact with the marinade. Seal well and refrigerate for three hours.

Then, make the dressing.
Mash the avocado in a small mixing bowl until it has a more or less smooth consistency. Add the vinegar and using a wire whisk, blend the two together until the avocado becomes creamy without any lumps.

Add the mayonnaise, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, honey and powdered ginger.  Blend everything together with the whisk until thoroughly homogenized.  Add the avocado oil last and whisk to combine.

Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Finally, bake the salmon and finish the dish.
Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees (385 degrees for altitudes over 5,000 feet).

Remove the salmon from the marinade to a broiling pan treated with the non-stick spray.  Discard any remaining marinade.

Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 13 - 15 minutes. 

Turn the broiler of your oven on high and broil the filets for 1-2 minutes until the tops are a little crispy and the marinade has glazed. As the filets come out of the oven, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

To serve, spoon out 3-4 tablespoons of the Butter Fruit Dressing and place in a comma shape on a dinner plate, then gently position the salmon filet on top.

This went well with Braised Baby Bok Choy and Korean Fried Rice, the recipes for which can be found here and here.