I have a new (at least for me) culinary discovery, miso butter — nothing more than miso (used red miso, because that’s what I had on hand, but you can easily substitute any miso you like) mixed with butter.

Miso + Butter = Umamilicious…to say the least. 

Today I made sockeye salmon en papillote (salmon baked in parchment paper) with thinly sliced mushrooms and leeks, topped with miso butter.  It’s that perfectly easy, tasty weeknight meal that takes merely minutes to assemble and bake.  You can save time by assembling the parchment packets in advance such that all you need to do is preheat and pop them in the oven.

I love the simplicity of this preparation, which underscores the fact that cooking can be quick and convenient, without sacrificing taste/flavor.

But this is just the beginning.  I have many more uses in store for this miso butter.  Am thinking miso butter would be a great accompaniment to vegetables (green beans, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, corn) seafood (mussels, scallops, shrimp), noodles, or meat — oh, the possibilities…

If salmon isn’t your thing, substitute halibut or snapper, or another fish of your choosing.  Same goes for the veggies.  Use whatever is in season and what your taste dictates.  Prepare in the parchment as described below (just keep in mind that cooking times might vary slightly, depending on the what ingredients you use).

No sake on hand, use a dry white wine instead.

Miso butter…

I like my salmon medium-rare to medium.  A cooking time of 11 to 12 minutes (at 400F) was just the right amount of time.  Ten minutes was a bit too short, 13 minutes a bit too long.

Picked up a couple sweet potatoes over the weekend.  Roasted the sweet potatoes in the oven and then topped with a pat of miso butter and some thinly sliced green onions…quite tasty as well.

Will have to wait until spring arrives to test out one of my ideas for miso butter — miso butter with spring asparagus and spring peas.

Salmon En Papillote with Miso Butter 

Place the miso and butter in a bowl. With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the miso and butter together until well combined. Place on parchment paper and form into  a log. Roll the miso butter tight in the parchment paper. Will keep refrigerated several weeks.