I saw this Japanese salmon dish a few years ago on the old Food Network show Calling All Cooks. It looked so good that I made it the next day with a few modifications based on ingredients that I normally keep on hand. We prefer to use Tamari soy sauce, which has a rich flavor that seems to go really well with the salmon, but you can certainly user regular soy sauce. The original recipe calls for the sauce to be poured over the soba when served, but I like to drain the soba and then add them to the skillet for two or three minutes so that they absorb more of the delicious sauce.
We enjoy this with stir-fried or steamed vegetables on the side. It's a recipe that my whole family enjoys, including my picky preschooler and toddler. Both of the boys go to town on the noodles and keep asking for more fish. And it makes a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Make It Gluten Free
Use gluten-free tamari and soba noodles. Make sure to read the noodles package label to verify that it has no wheat ingredients. You can also substitute other gluten-free noodles made from beans, potatoes, or rice.
Japanese Salmon with Soba Noodles
Equipment
- large nonstick skillet with a lid
Ingredients
- 4 bundles gluten-free buckwheat soba noodles (cooked according to package instructions)
- 2 ounces gluten-free Tamari soy sauce
- 2 ounces sake (or white wine)
- 1 ounce mirin
- 4 ounces dashi (or chicken broth)
- 4 ounces olive oil
- 4 salmon fillets
- 3 cloves garlic (grated)
- 2 inch piece of ginger (grated)
- fresh grated black pepper
- 1 bunch scallions (sliced into thin rounds)
Preparation
- Cook the noodles while preparing the salmon and sauce.
- Stir together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and broth. Set aside.
- Put oil in a pan over medium heat. Put the salmon filets in and turn to coat. Sprinkle with garlic and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the seasonings start to brown and the outside starts to turn pale pink, then turn over.
- Pour the sauce over the salmon. Cook over medium heat, covered, for about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle fresh pepper on top.
- When salmon is opaque all the way through, remove from heat. Add cooked noodles to the skillet and stir for a minute or two. Pour noodles onto plates and place salmon on top. Garnish with fresh scallions.
Nutrition
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Soba Noodle Brands
Chan says
I live in Japan and the food is challenging to make when the language is a barrier. I found this recipe and thought, "Yes, something I can make that looks healthy, easy to make, and delicious." This meal was easy to make and chock full of healthy things. I changed it a little by leaving out the sake/white wine. I also used regular soy sauce, but diluted it with equal parts of water and added a dallop of sugar to it. It turned out well. My friends really enjoyed this meal. Thanks for helping me to make such a great meal in no time! I'd suggest it to anyone looking to explore salmon recipes.
Andrea says
Chan, thanks for stopping back by and letting me know how the dish turned out. I'm so glad you liked it!
Iman says
hey! thanks for the recipe..it was juz wht i needed..i bought some soba the other day and didnt kno wht to cooked it with..when stumbled upon this recipe..tho i change it a bit to follow my own taste bud [added some sesame oil to make it taste more oriental and more ginger coz, well, i like ginger..]..it turned out GREAT!! THANX!!
kerry says
did search on "japanese salmon" yours was on top and i wanted it with sobe noodles (already sitting next to boiling water when i googled lol)
my 14 yr son said "this is great,thanks"
and i say it was great thanks
I used already cooked salmon and threw in some snow peas
yum (nothing like a garden full of snow peas dont you think?