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Crispy Salmon Soba with Sesame Miso Dressing

On a busy weeknight, i’m slurping a big beautiful bowl of silky sesame miso soba served with crispy skinned salmon, bok choy, sautéed shitake, oyster and enoki mushrooms, pickled ginger, lots of spring onion and chilli oil.

Japanese soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are both delightfully nutty and nutritious. They are an excellent source of ‘Quercetin’, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound that can help alleviate the sorrows of seasonal allergies. So if you’re like me a find yourself all itchy and welled up this time of year, then consider this your ‘anti-histamine’ in noodle form.

To keep things gluten free for the sensitive folk, I like to use 100% buckwheat soba without added wheat flour which you can find at most Asian supermarkets or specialty stores. The dressed noodles can also be made ahead of time and served cold or at room temperature – all you need to do is sauté the mushrooms and cook your salmon right before eating. Any leftovers make for a great meal prep.

Lunch

Dinner

Quick Sticks

Serves 2

Prep Time 5 Mins

Cook Time 20 Mins

Ingredients

Method

2 boneless salmon fillets, skin on
200g dried soba noodles
1 bunch bok choy, cut in half
1 tablespoon tamari
4 tablespoons light extra virgin olive oil
2 cups mushrooms (shiitake, enoki or oyster)
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 small mild red chilli, finely sliced
2 tablespoons pickled ginger
1 tablespoon crunchy chilli oil
Salt
Pepper

Sesame Miso Dressing

2 teaspoons white miso
2 tablespoons runny tahini
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cold water
Pinch wakame salt (or regular fine sea salt)

Method

1
Make the sesame miso dressing by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and silky. You can add a little more water if the sauce is too thick.
2
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and season well with salt. Set aside.
3
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the soba according to packet instructions. When the noodles have 2 minutes left, add the bok choy and cook until just tender. Drain everything into a colander and rinse under cold running water for a minute. Remove the bok choy and set aside onto a plate, then season with the tamari. Allow the noodles to continuing draining until ready to use.
4
Heat half of the oil in a small pan over a medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms until crispy and tender, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
5
Place the remaining olive oil and the salmon skin side down in a cold pan. Gently bring up to a medium-high heat. Once you see the oil bubbling, place a fish weight or heavy pan on top of the fish. Cook on the skin side for about 4 minutes before flipping and cooking for a further 2 minutes uncovered. Turn off the heat and let the fish rest in the pan for about a minute. The fish should be crispy on the outside with a slight pink tinge in the centre. Depending on the thickness, you made need a little more or less time in the pan.
6
Add the noodles, bok choy, half of the spring onion, chilli, pickled ginger and the sesame miso dressing to a large bowl and toss gently. Serve the noodles into bowls and top each with a crispy salmon fillet and a drizzle of chilli oil. Scatter over the remaining spring onion and sautéed mushrooms. Serve immediately.