Miso Salmon with Soba Noodles

Salmon: Remove the pin bones from the salmon using tweezers and cut into 5 cm pieces. Combine the miso, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce in a dish, add the salmon and turn to coat well. Leave for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Noodles: Cook the soba noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the leek and garlic with a pinch of salt until tender. Add the soy sauce, dashi powder and water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

Salmon: Heat the oil in a non-stick sauté pan over a medium-low heat and sauté the salmon until golden and cooked to your liking. The marinade will burn quickly if the heat is too high.

To serve: Combine the carrot, spring onions, chilli and coriander. Place the noodles in individual bowls and pour over the hot broth. Top with the salmon and a small stack of the salad.

Miso: a thick paste made most commonly from fermenting soy beans, salt and a fungus called ‘koji-kin’. The different shades denote aging and saltiness (the darker ones have been aged longer and are therefore saltier). Miso is available from Japanese food stores, health food stores and good supermarkets. Keep leftover miso paste in a sealed container in the freezer. It doesn’t freeze into a solid block, which makes it easy to take out the required amount.