I first tried salmon belly miso soup more than 10 years ago at a Japanese restaurant and it was love at first sip. Everything about it was wonderful; from the flavorful and rich tasting soup, the silky tofu pieces to the creamy and smooth salmon belly. The tantalizing waft hinting of deliciousness coming from the hot soup was simply irresistible.
I started cooking my own salmon belly miso soup at home last year and ever since then I’ve been making them regularly. I was surprised at how easy it was. With a little effort, you can have a hearty and comforting one-pot meal at any time of the year.
The main ingredients in miso soup are miso and dashi. Miso is a naturally fermented paste usually made from soybeans and sometimes other grains such as barley and wheat. Miso makes the flavour of the soup rich and earthy and gives it body. It is commonly cooked together with dashi (a Japanese fish broth) to make miso soup.
Dashi
I was shopping at the supermarket in Isetan two weeks ago when they were having a Japanese Food Fair. The sampling that I was given from a stall selling miso paste and dashi was really tasty and I ended up buying the dashi and miso (pictured below) to try.
Dashi sachets
At $16 for 14 packets, this dashi is more pricey than instant dashi granules but I think they’re worth it. It is MSG-free and made of only 3 ingredients: dried bonito shavings, dried mackerel shavings and kelp. There is a subtle smoky taste to it.
Miso Paste
The miso that I bought (picture below) is called Kanena barley miso and it is from Miyazaki, Japan. A huge mound of the barley miso was placed on a large dish and you could specify how much of the miso that you want to purchase and it will be scooped into containers as shown above.
This barley miso is handmade from barley, rice, soybeans and sea salt. There is no MSG, no preservatives, no alcohol and no heat is used. I was told that the miso yeast is still alive and the flavours will continue to develop. According to the lady manning the stall, it will not harden even if I freeze it! I didn’t try keeping it in the freezer though. I kept it in the chiller and that is where it’s going to be.
miso paste
Different types of miso paste
The types of miso paste commonly available can be categorized by the following colours:
White Miso (Shiromiso)
Light yellow in colour, this type of miso has the least amount of soybean and it is milder than other types of miso. It can be used in a wide variety of dishes including salad dressings, miso marinades and soups.
Red Miso (Akamiso)
The saltiest of the misos that is usually dark reddish brown in colour. Use sparingly and adjust to taste.
Mixed Miso (Awasemiso)
A blend of red and white miso.
Some miso paste come together with pre-added dashi. Those are usually labelled as dashi-iri. Alternatively, you can try cooking with this instant dashi powder which is MSG-free. It is a short-cut to cooking your own dashi stock. I liken instant dashi powder to a chicken stock cube.
Where to buy miso
Miso can be found in Japanese supermarkets, Japanese food stores or the Japanese section of some local supermarkets. It is not only affordable but an incredibly healthy food as well. It can be a mind-boggling task trying to choose a suitable miso paste to get especially with the wide array of choices to choose from. Check the labels and try to find non-MSG ones. The cheapest ones are usually very strong in flavor so I tend to avoid those.
If you’re unsure, I recommend getting the yellow or white miso as it is an all-purpose miso which you can also use for making other dishes like salad dressings and marinades.
You can also purchase white miso, red miso and mixed miso on Amazon.
Cooking salmon belly miso soup
I use my Happycall pot to boil many of my soups including this salmon belly miso soup. I’ve used it for braising, frying, soups, porridges, stews, etc. The 4qt (about 4 litres) size is just right for me when boiling soups as I usually boil enough for 2 meals. You can find out more about Happycall Alumite Ceramic Pots from my review.
For this salmon belly miso soup recipe, you can use salmon bones or salmon belly or a combination of both. I added some daikon to balance the richness of the soup and the creaminess of the salmon. If you enjoy eating daikon you may like to try this soup too.
The ingredients for this soup are very flexible. You can use leftover vegetables for this soup and turn it into a complete meal. Have some tofu and mushrooms in your fridge? Throw that into the pot as well.
So, with the many types of miso paste available in varying degrees of saltiness you might want to try out a few kinds and see which ones you like. This soup is perfect served with a bowl of steaming hot rice. Or just enjoy it on its own!
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- 6 cups of water
- 2 tbsp miso paste - or to taste
- 1 to 2 packets of dashi powder sachet or ½ tbsp dashi powder (refer to the dashi packaging instructions)
- 300 g salmon belly - rinsed and cut into 3-4 cm lengths
- 300 g daikon (white radish) - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small carrot - peeled and cut into small pieces
- 200 g napa cabbage - chopped coarsely
- 150 g enoki mushrooms - ends trimmed and rinsed
- 1 block of silken tofu - cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp dried wakame (Japanese seaweed)
- Bring water and dashi packet to a boil in a pot. Once the water is boiling, scoop out some into a small bowl and add in the miso paste. Mix thoroughly until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- Add in daikon, carrots and napa cabbage. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until they are softened. Gently add in salmon, mushrooms and tofu and simmer till the salmon is cooked. Add in the wakame.
- Pour the dissolved miso from step 1 back into the pot and stir gently. Turn off the heat. Do not continue to boil or the miso would lose its flavour.
- Remove the dashi packet from the pot and serve the soup hot.
2. You can also use a combination of salmon belly and salmon bones for this recipe.
Hi! My name is Yoko. I am a fourth generation of Kanena Barley miso brewery in Japan. By coincidence I have found your blog and recipe using our barley miso and overwhelmingly I was very very please to know that you were enjoying our miso. Thank you soooooo much. Arigato gozaimasu. Please allow me to share your article in my facebook.
Hi Yoko,
I’m so happy to hear from you! I love using Kanena barley miso for making soups. This is my second tub of the miso. I also have Kanena Sake-Mirin. Lately I’ve been using them to marinade and pan fry salmon. It is super delicious! The only thing is, miso gets burnt easily so I have to adjust the heat when pan frying the salmon. I would appreciate it if you can share this article on your Facebook. Thanks! 🙂 🙂
Looks delicious. The photographs are great – did you take them yourself!
I just love one pot meals. I don’t mind taking a little extra time in prep, the convenience and reduced clear up makes it totally worthwhile.
I’m trying to get my sons to eat more fish and veg – and this looks like a great option. The only thing is I can’t recall seeing miso here in my UK supermarket. However, I will certainly look and see if I can find some.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for writing in. Yes, I took the photographs myself. I love the convenience of one-pot meals too. You will most likely find miso in the Japanese section of a supermarket. Alternatively, you can also get them online on Amazon. There are different types of miso available. I recommend getting the white miso as it can be used in many types of dishes.
Sounds like an awesome recipe! I love miso soup, but have never tried it with salmon and all of the other yummy ingredients you have included. I love to cook, but I am not super familiar with cooking asian food, so i really appreciate the advice on the different types of miso and where to buy it. Souper Diaries is definitely a website I will return to.
Oh my God that looks delicious! It’s like a mini hotpot in a miso soup! I definitely have to get my wife to try making that. The ingredients are simple to get and the recipe looks so easy to make. I love dashi. It’s so flavorful but it does take a lot of time to make by yourself so using the dashi powder like you suggested is a good way to cut a lot of time out of the cooking process. I’ve used it many times and it tastes great!
Thanks for this recipe! I’ll for sure be coming back for more!
Haha! Yes, it does look like a mini hotpot now that you mention it. I love the convenience of instant dashi too. I’ve cooked this salmon belly miso soup many times and it always makes a great meal. Hope you’ll enjoy this recipe like I do!
This sounds and looks amazing! I am always looking for new recipes to feed my family and we love salmon. Where can you buy salmon belly? I am not sure I have noticed it before. Would that be a specialty store? The other main ingredients too? Thank you so much for explaining what it all is since I am not familiar with cooking with those ingredients.
Hi Heather,
You can find salmon belly in most supermarkets or from your local fishmonger. You’ll also need miso paste, dashi powder and wakame (dried Japanese seaweed) which you can find in the Japanese section of a supermarket or a Japanese grocery shop. Alternatively, you can also buy them from Amazon. The rest of the ingredients are vegetables and tofu which you can get from the supermarkets and your local farmer’s market.
Hi Yvonne may I ask which Japanese restaurant u went? I will go there try the salmon belly soup too!
Btw can this dish be cooked with udon?
Hi SI,
Sorry for the late reply. If I recall correctly (as it was over 10 years ago), I believe it was Sushi Tei. You can cook the udon separately then add the noodles into the soup.
I have tried miso soup but not with salmon belly. It sounds to me it taste really amazing indeed.
I am amazed that you have master it as the interest and first impression you have prompt you of getting to know in depth and familiarise this dish.
Still, I am just wondering, do you still go to the restaurant which served you the soup 10 years ago?
Yes, I still go there every now and then and it remains as one of my favourite Japanese restaurant.
Mmmmm mmmm mmmm this miso soup with salmon belly sounds delisciose. I want to try it right now. My husband is a chef and I am fond of healthy cooking. I know that miso is very healthy. Do you think so too? .. I will try this recipe as my weekly routine. Thanks
Hi Niki,
Yes, miso has many health and anti-aging properties due to the fermentation process. It helps prevent gastric disorders, protects from free radicals, helps strengthen our immune system and much more.
I’d love to know how this recipe turns out for you! 🙂
I had never heard of many of these ingredients. I am not able to eat gluten (found in wheat, barley and rye) – is there a miso that I could eat? The soup looks very good – especially in the cold winter months. It looks like a versatile dish that you can add extra veggies to that are in the fridge. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Shannon, here are some gluten-free miso that you may wish to check out: This and this. Do let me know if they are suitable for you.
Hi Yvonne – I love your site and the recipes look amazing. I have traveled quite a bit in Asia and my most recent trip was 3 months long. I love to try new foods and your soups are definitely next on my list..!
Thanks for you comment Lorna. I hope you’ll like the soups! 🙂
This looks like a delicious recipe for Salmon. Salmon is my favorite fish next to Trout. I can’t wait to try this Salmon recipe.
I hope you’ll like it GrampaMike. I love salmon too and sometimes eat it raw with sushi.
I love salmon and this soup sounds delicious. The recipe for Salmon Belly Miso soup looks like it will be easy to make. Do you know if I will need to go to a health food store to get the miso paste or dashi? The time to prep and cook is really great to fix when I come in from work. Thanks for Sharing Vicky
Hi Vicky, I’m not sure about health food store but you should be able to find miso paste and dashi in the Japanese section of your local supermarket or any Japanese food specialty shops.
hi Yvonne
yum this salmon belly miso soup looks good! and thank you so much for all the important information you provide about miso, the different types of it and dashi. I knew about miso (although I did not know about the different kinds) but had never heard of dashi. Hearing about your shopping excursion makes me want to go shopping for food in Asia! I can see myself making this soup as I also love daikon!
Hi Emily, it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Dashi is a kind of Japanese fish broth used in many Japanese dishes. This is one of my favourite soups and I hope you’ll like it too! 🙂