Name: Japanese Salmon and Potato Miso Soup
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 pound skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1½-inch pieces; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled; 4 cups water; ¼ cup white, yellow, or red miso; ¼ cup sake; 2 tablespoons mirin; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon instant dashi powder, such as Hondashi; 1 (3-inch) piece daikon radish, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced ¼ inch thick; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 scallions, sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

A classic hot pot from the Hokkaido region of Japan, this comforting soup features bite-size pieces of salmon and potatoes braised in a miso-based broth. We salt the salmon and allow it to sit while we prep the other ingredients to season it throughout. Simmering miso with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and a dash of instant dashi powder creates a quick yet deeply flavorful broth. Salmon is added near the end of cooking so the pieces stay tender. Butter stirred in off the heat adds richness and complements the nutty flavor of miso.

Before You Begin

White, yellow, or red miso all work well here; white miso produces a milder, sweeter broth, while red miso gives a deeper, more assertive flavor. In step 2, we cut the potatoes using a roll cut traditional for this soup, but it’s fine to cut them into rough 1-inch pieces.

Instructions

Sprinkle 1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1½-inch pieces, all over with ½ teaspoon table salt and let sit while preparing remaining ingredients, about 10 minutes.

Quarter 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, lengthwise. Working with 1 piece at a time, hold knife at 45-degree angle and cut 1 inch from end. Roll piece toward you until cut side faces up and cut again 1 inch from end at same angle. Repeat with remaining potato pieces.

Whisk 4 cups water, ¼ cup miso, ¼ cup sake, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon instant dashi powder together in large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and 1 (3-inch) piece daikon radish, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced ¼ inch thick. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add salmon in single layer and simmer, stirring gently, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and stir gently until melted. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with 2 thinly sliced scallions, and serve immediately.