One Pan Miso Butter Salmon with Charred Cabbage

25 minutes, one pan, zero complaints — especially from my daughter, who somehow eats every single vegetable on the plate. The miso butter sauce literally makes everything better.

---

Salmon is my go-to protein on busy weeknights, and for a very practical reason: it defrosts fast, cooks fast, and doesn’t need much to taste great. But this recipe makes it taste exceptional. A savory miso butter sauce, seared mushrooms, and — my favourite twist — cabbage wedges that get properly charred before they ever meet the sauce.

Inspired by Chanchan Yaki

I was actually inspired by a Japanese dish called chanchan yaki — a Hokkaido classic where salmon and vegetables are cooked together on a griddle with miso butter. I loved the concept but made it my own: simpler, one pan, and with that char on the cabbage that adds a smoky caramelized edge you just don’t get if you skip the sear. Don’t skip the sear.

The miso butter sauce is the magic — it’s deeply savory, slightly sweet, and coats everything so well that even the most stubborn vegetable becomes irresistible.

What You Will Need

Main

• 2 salmon fillets, about 170g (6oz) each
• 1 pack shimeji mushrooms (white or brown) — enoki works too
• 2 cabbage wedges
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1½ tbsp salted butter

Miso sauce

• 1½ tbsp white miso
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 tbsp water
• Optional: If you want to darken the color of the sauce, add 1 tsp dark soy sauce.

Optional garnish

• Sesame seeds
• Green onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare the ingredients and sauce
Lightly season the salmon and cabbage wedges with salt and pepper on both sides. In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

2. Sear the cabbage and salmon
Heat oil in a large flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage wedges first, then place the salmon fillets in the pan. Let both sear without moving for 5 minutes.

3. Flip and continue cooking
Flip the salmon, then flip the cabbage. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the salmon and set aside. If your fillets are thicker than 2.5 cm (1 inch), cook them for an extra 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Cook the mushrooms
Add butter to the pan and sauté the mushrooms until softened, about 2 minutes. Push them to the sides of the pan.

5. Add the sauce and finish simmering
Return the salmon to the pan. Drizzle the miso sauce over everything, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Garnish and serve
Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.