Griddled salmon and vegetables with miso and melted butter recipe

I learnt to cook this Hokkaido comfort food classic from Toshi-chan, a fisherman's wife in the town of Shikabe who gives cooking classes in the town hall, says Tim Anderson. The inclusion of mayonnaise is her own twist: though it's not typical, I think it's delicious, so I've included it, too. I also learnt to make the dish with just cabbage and onions, though other vegetables are common as well – carrots and shimeji mushrooms, in particular – so feel free to add them if you like.

Ingredients

• 80g miso (white is best, but red is fine, too)
• 4 tbsp saké
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp mayo
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1⁄2 sweetheart (hispi) cabbage, cut into strips about 2cm wide
• 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• about 500g salmon, boneless (you can have the skin on or off, but if you leave it on, it needs to be scaled)

Method

• Combine the miso, saké, mirin, sugar and mayo in a small bowl, stirring with a fork or small whisk until no lumps remain.
• Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a very wide, non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron pan or griddle over a medium-high heat, then add all of the vegetables and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, just to coat in the butter while they barely start to cook.
• Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, and place the salmon in the middle, skin-side up.
• Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn the fish over so it is skin-side down, being careful not to break the flesh.
• Pour the miso sauce all over the fish and vegetables, lower the heat to medium, and cover the pan with a lid or a sheet of kitchen foil.
• Leave everything to steam-fry for about 10-12 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.
• Once the fish is done, place the remaining 1 tbsp of butter on top of the salmon and let it melt.
• Bring the whole pan to the table to serve, along with rice, soup and pickles.

Taken from "Hokkaido: Recipes from the Seas, Fields and Farmlands of Northern Japan" by Tim Anderson, published by Hardie Grant at £28. Photography by Laura Edwards.

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