Crafted by Clare Heal - Journalist-turned-chef based in London

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Serves 2

These Japanese-inspired salmon fillets can be eaten warm, room temperature or cold. So they make a great quick dinner and an even better lunch the next day. We’ve used white miso which is the sweetest and lightest sort but any type will work, even, at a push, those little sachets for making soup!

Ingredients:

• 2 x salmon fillets (approx. 150g each)
• 2 tbsp white miso
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 150g spring greens
• 1 bundle soba noodles (approximately 90g)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• Small bunch spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 2cm ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (white, black or a mixture)

Method:

1. Mix the miso, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and honey in a bowl. Add the salmon fillets and massage over the marinade to make sure they are fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours and up to 24. 
   
   
2. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat. Remove the fish from the marinade and wipe off any excess. Place, skin side down, on the baking tray. Put in the oven and cook for 10-15 mins. It should be browning round the edges and firm to the touch. 
   
   
3. Meanwhile, put a pan of water on to boil and slice the greens into 1cm ribbons. Add the greens to the pan and, a minute later, add the noodles and cook according to packet instructions (usually 4 minutes). 
   
   
4. Thinly slice the spring onion. Peel and crush or mince the garlic and ginger (a microplane grater is useful for this). 
   
   
5. Drain the noodles and greens and run them under the cold tap. This washes off excess starch and stops the noodles clumping as well as “refreshing” the greens and keeping their colour vibrant – good if you want to keep them for lunchboxes. 
   
   
6. Place the pan back on the hob over a medium heat and add the sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Heat for a minute. You don’t want to cook the garlic, just get rid of some of its raw bite. Remove from the heat and add the soy sauce then put the noodles and greens back in the pan along with the spring onions and sesame seeds and toss everything together until well coated.
   
   Optional: return the pan to the heat if you’d like to warm the noodles through.
   
   
7. Serve the noodles with a salmon fillet alongside. 

Variations:

• If you can’t find white miso, any sort is fine and will be delicious but maybe add a little less soy. Taste the marinade as you go.
  
• If you can’t find mirin use half a tsbp rice (or white wine) vinegar and an extra half tbsp honey instead
• Substitute soba noodles for any other kind you like or even for rice. 
• Use whatever greens you have to hand: cabbage, bok choi, broccoli, mange tout etc. are all good.

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