Salmon Yakisoba (Japanese Fried Noodles)

I love crispy skinned salmon, it’s ridiculously easy to cook, super filling, nourishing and down right delicious. I usually buy 2 large salmon fillets, and cut each in half lengthways.

However, if salmon isn’t your thing, these Japanese style fried noodles would be just as delicious with grilled chicken or beef steak thinly sliced and served on top.

The sauce for these noodles uses miso paste, a fermented soybean product which creates an earthy salty flavour, mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine, and sesame oil which has a rich nutty flavour. These can all be found in the international section of most supermarkets, health food shops, or asian supermarkets. If you can’t find mirin, you could substitute for a sweet white wine, with an extra teaspoon of sugar.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 tbsp mirin
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp miso paste
• 4 cloves crushed garlic (2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp crushed ginger
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 400g soba noodles (any thin stick noodle will also work)
• 500g salmon fillets (skin on, boned)
• pickled ginger, to serve (optional)

Method:

Make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, miso paste, garlic, ginger and lemon juice. Stir to combine and set aside.

Peel and thinly slice onions, and carrots. Cut onions from end to end along the natural lines that occur, this is the best way to slice them for a noodle stir fry. Cut carrots into matchstick thin strips if possible. Shred cabbage thinly also.

Just before cooking your vegetables, get a large pot of water on to boil for the noodles. Boil, according to packet directions then drain and rinse with cold water.

While noodles are cooking, heat oil in a large pan, add onion and cook, tossing with a pair of tongs for a couple of minutes till softened. Add carrot and cabbage and continue cooking for 3 -5 minutes till softened.

Your noodles should be cooked by now, but before adding them to the veggies, heat another pan ready for your salmon steaks. Place salmon skin side down in the dry hot pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, till skin is just crispy, before turning to cook for another 2 – 3 minutes until just cooked through. You won’t need to add any oil, as all the natural oils from the salmon come out into the pan.

While the salmon is cooking, add the drained noodles to the vegetable pan, along with the dressing, toss together for a minute or two to warm through, then divide into four serving bowls. Place cooked salmon on top, skin side up and top with a little pickled ginger if using.

You'll also find this recipe published on nzdads.co.nz