Miso Butter Salmon Pasta (Printable)

Creamy miso butter coats salmon, bok choy, and pasta for an umami-rich fusion meal.

# What you 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 until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - Melt 1 tbsp butter with sesame oil in a large skillet 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 cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Whisk in miso paste, soy sauce, and mirin until smooth.
05 - Stir in heavy cream and black pepper, then add chopped bok choy. Cook for 2–3 minutes until bok choy wilts slightly.
06 - Return salmon to skillet and gently toss to coat with sauce.
07 - Incorporate drained pasta, tossing everything together. Add reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky texture.
08 - Plate immediately, garnishing with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The salmon cooks so gently that it stays butter-soft instead of turning into rubber—it's a revelation if you've usually cooked it skin-side down.
  • Miso paste in the sauce means you get that restaurant-level umami depth without needing to simmer anything for hours.
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which makes weeknight dinner feel like an accomplishment.
02 -
  • Don't fully cook the salmon the first time around—it's terrifying but essential, because it will finish cooking in the sauce and stay impossibly tender instead of turning dry and flaky.
  • Whisk the miso paste into the butter slowly and carefully, or it will clump up and ruin the silky texture of the whole sauce; there's no way to smooth it out once that happens.
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—that starchy water is what transforms the sauce from thick to elegant, so don't skip this step or dump it in the sink automatically.
03 -
  • If you love heat, add a tiny pinch of chili flakes when you're sautéing the garlic—just enough to feel it on your tongue, not enough to overpower the delicate miso and salmon.
  • Spinach works beautifully as a substitute for bok choy if that's what you have on hand, though you'll want to add it right at the very end so it doesn't turn to mush.
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