Miso Butter Salmon Pasta (Printable Version)

Tender salmon coated in a creamy miso butter sauce tossed with pasta and fresh bok choy for a savory dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 14 oz skinless salmon fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Pasta

02 - 10 oz linguine or spaghetti

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 heads baby bok choy, chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 scallions, sliced (for garnish)

→ Sauce

06 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 2 tbsp white miso paste
08 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
09 - 2 tbsp mirin
10 - ⅓ cup heavy cream
11 - 1 tsp sesame oil
12 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

13 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
14 - Lemon wedges

# Directions:

01 - Boil linguine in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain and set aside.
02 - In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter and sesame oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03 - Add salmon pieces to skillet and cook gently for 2–3 minutes per side until just opaque. Remove from skillet and set aside.
04 - Add remaining 3 tbsp butter to skillet. Once melted, whisk in white miso paste, soy sauce, and mirin until smooth.
05 - Stir in heavy cream and black pepper. Add chopped bok choy and cook 2–3 minutes until just wilted.
06 - Return salmon to skillet and gently toss to coat with sauce.
07 - Add drained pasta to skillet. Toss all ingredients together, adding reserved pasta water incrementally to achieve a silky texture.
08 - Plate immediately and garnish with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and lemon wedges as desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, making weeknight dinners feel less rushed and more like something you actually want to cook.
  • The miso-butter sauce is so creamy and savory that even people who claim they don't love fish will ask for seconds.
  • Bok choy wilts right into the sauce, so you're getting vegetables without the extra pan cleanup.
02 -
  • Miso paste can break if you boil it, so keep the heat at medium and whisk it in when the butter is melted but not screaming hot—this learned lesson came after one ruined batch.
  • Overcooked salmon becomes chalky and dry, so if you're even slightly unsure, undercook it by 30 seconds; the residual heat and sauce will finish the job.
  • Pasta water is magic here—its starch emulsifies into the cream and makes the sauce cling to the noodles instead of sliding off into a puddle.
03 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water—it's the difference between a sauce that coats and a sauce that pools.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for 30 seconds before sprinkling; the little bit of heat brings out their nuttiness and makes them taste less one-dimensional.
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