Words cannot begin to describe just how incredibly luscious and delicious this baked salmon is! Coated in a wonderfully nutty brown butter infused with miso, maple, ginger and garlic, it’s packed full of flavour. Not to mention, it’s wonderfully easy to throw together, making it the perfect meal for sharing. Serve with sesame-dressed cucumber ribbons, freshly steamed rice and edamame beans.
For the longest time I have been wanting to create a recipe that included these flavour profiles and I can happily say that we finally made it! There’s just something about the buttery richness of the browned butter with a touch of nuttiness, paired with the sweet maple and umami miso that calls one’s name. This recipe is inspired by Japanese flavours and ingredients and of course, fresh New Zealand produce.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Baked Salmon
Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own brown butter miso baked salmon…
Brown Butter Miso Maple Salmon
- Butter: use one of good quality to get the best flavour possible. It’s the foundation for this recipe to provide the wonderfully buttery nuttiness that gives the salmon a little something special. I use salted butter, but that’s just based on my personal preference.
- Maple syrup: provides a touch of sweetness. It pairs wonderfully with all the other ingredients to create a delicious flavouring for the salmon.
- Miso paste: There are so many different miso pastes out there that provide different flavour profiles. I recommend going for a white miso paste for the mild, slightly sweet flavour where possible. Red miso paste, however, would also work. The one I’ve used here actually happens to be a blend of white miso and red miso.
- Ginger: freshly grated ginger is always the best option to go for to provide the best taste.
- Tip: use a spoon to easily peel the skin off the ginger before grating.
- Garlic: garlic cloves get crushed to add extra deliciousness to the brown butter that is spread all over the salmon.
- Whole salmon fillet: this recipe caters to a 1-1.2 kg salmon fillet. You’ll want to make sure that it is deboned for a better eating experience. Feel for any bones by running your hands over the flesh. If bones are present, use tweezers to remove them in the same direction to ensure a cleaner removal. The skin should also be left on so the salmon stays in one piece during the cooking process.

Sesame-Dressed Cucumber
- Cucumber: provides a wonderfully refreshing side dish to the salmon. It gets tossed with sesame oil and seasoning.
- Sesame oil: a flavourful oil made from roasted sesame seeds. A little goes a long way. Toss with the cucumber ribbons to provide an extra flavour along with seasoning.
- Sesame seeds: toasted sesame seeds add a wonderful toasty crunch to the cucumber ribbons.

Garnish
- Spring onions: also known as scallions are used to garnish the baked salmon. Slice and simply sprinkle over the top.
- Coriander: freshly picked coriander leaves add a herbaceous element to the dish.
Related: Essential culinary herbs
To Serve
- Rice: serve this salmon with a serving of your favourite type of steamed rice to soak up all the delectable buttery flavours of the salmon!
- Edamame beans: a bonus green for a pop of flavour. You can often get them in your supermarket frozen. I like to get the ones in the shells and defrost them either in the fridge overnight or in hot water for a few minutes. You can also purchase them already out of the shells.
How to Make This Brown Butter Baked Salmon
Follow these steps to create this delicious feast…
Start with the Tasty Brown Butter
- The first step is to melt the butter in a small saucepan, preferably one that doesn’t have a black interior so it’s easier to see the colour of the butter changing. Once the butter melts it will start to bubble and foam, that’s a sign it’s on the right track!
- When the butter starts foaming it will very quickly change colour into a luxurious golden brown. You will need to make sure that you watch it closely and swirl the saucepan occasionally to ensure even cooking. The process will take around 5-8 minutes.
- Once the butter has browned, whisk in the maple, miso, ginger and garlic. You’ll want to whisk until everything is well combined. Remove the pan from the heat to prevent further browning.
Spread the Butter over the Salmon

- Place the salmon on a lined baking tray, then spread the brown butter mixture all over the surface of the salmon. This will infuse it with butter goodness, aka flavour!
- Now it’s all ready to place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked to your liking. I tend to find that 22 minutes works perfectly for me and results in a well-cooked piece of salmon (I’m not one for underbaked salmon)
Prepare the Sesame-Dressed Cucumber

- To prepare the cucumber, use a vegetable peeler to create long ribbons with the cucumber. You may also use a mandoline if you happen to have one of those.
- TIP: Alternatively, for a quicker and easier solution, slice the cucumber into rounds with a knife.
- Toss the cucumber with sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. This is all to add flavour.
- Garnish with a handful of toasted sesame seeds for some added crunch and toastiness.
Garnish and Serve the Baked Salmon

- To complete this dish you can transfer the salmon to a serving platter if desired or just leave it on the tray (for fewer dishes).
- If you are transferring to a serving platter, don’t forget to spoon over all that delicious butter still left in the tray!
- Garnish the salmon with sliced spring onion and freshly picked coriander leaves. This step is completely optional but I think it adds a touch of freshness to the dish as well as extra flavour.
- TIP: slice your spring onion into long strips and place it in cold water. This will ensure it’s nice and crispy fresh. Leaving it in cold water also makes the spring onion curl up into small curls that are perfect for topping the salmon.
- Lastly, serve this salmon with some freshly steamed rice and edamame beans. The plain rice will soak up all of those delicious flavours of the salmon.
MORE Savoury Recipes…
Brown Butter Miso Maple Baked Salmon
Words cannot begin to describe just how incredibly luscious and delicious this baked salmon is! Coated in a wonderfully nutty brown butter infused with miso, maple, ginger and garlic, it's packed full of flavour. Not to mention, it's wonderfully easy to throw together, making it the perfect meal for sharing. Serve with sesame-dressed cucumber ribbons, freshly steamed rice and edamame beans.
Ingredients
Brown Butter Miso Maple Salmon
- 60 g butter
- 2 tbsp (30g) maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30g) miso paste
- 2 tsp (10g) ginger grated
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1-1.2 kg whole salmon fillet
Sesame-Dressed Cucumbers
- 1 cucumber
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds toasted
Garnish
- Spring onion sliced
- Coriander leaves
To serve
- Cooked rice
- Edamame beans
Instructions
Brown Butter Miso Maple Salmon
- Preheat your oven to 180°C bake and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the butter has foamed and turned golden brown, swirling occasionally.
- Whisk in the maple syrup, miso paste, ginger and garlic until well combined, then remove from the heat.
- Place the salmon on the lined baking tray and spread the brown butter maple mixture over the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked to your desire.
Sesame-Dressed Cucumbers
- Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber into ribbons.
- Drizzle the sesame oil over the cucumber and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.
Garnish and Serve
- To finish the salmon, transfer to a serving platter if desired and garnish with spring onion and coriander.
- Serve with cooked rice and edamame beans, then enjoy while hot!
If you give this baked salmon recipe a go, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter, so I can see all your wonderful creations!
Until next time, stay curious!
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