Seared Salmon & Miso Soba Noodle Salad

with Fairy Tale Eggplant & Baby Greens

Seared Salmon & Miso Soba Noodle Salad

with Fairy Tale Eggplant & Baby Greens

In Japanese cuisine, soba noodles, with their nutty buckwheat flavor, are often enjoyed chilled in the summer. Here, we’re tossing them with crunchy cucumber, tender specialty eggplant and—just before serving—delicate baby greens, which wilt just a bit in the salad. (Depending on what’s freshest near you, you’ll receive either kale or mizuna.) It all comes together in a unique dressing of sweet miso and red chile, simmered together with fresh aromatics for well-balanced complexity.

30 minutes

Ingredients

2 Skin-On Salmon Fillets
5 oz Soba Noodles
2 Scallions
2 oz Fairy Tale Eggplant
1 Cucumber
1 oz Baby Greens
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 tbsp Sweet White Miso Paste
1 1-Inch Piece Ginger
1 tbsp Gochujang
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Medium dice the eggplant. Halve the cucumber lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Transfer the cucumber to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Make the dressing:

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat half the sesame oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ginger and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the miso paste, ½ cup of water and as much of the gochujang as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and slightly thickened. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the vinegar; season with salt and pepper to taste. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

Cook the eggplant:

In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned and slightly softened; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the bowl of dressing and toss to coat. Wipe out the pan.

Cook the salmon:

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned salmon, skin sides down, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, or until browned and crispy. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.

Make the salad & plate your dish:

While the salmon cooks, add the noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and rinse under warm water to prevent sticking. Transfer the cooked noodles, seasoned cucumber and remaining sesame oil to the bowl of dressed eggplant. Toss to thoroughly coat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the baby greens and toss to thoroughly combine. Divide between 2 dishes. Top with the cooked salmon. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!