Roasted Salmon with Miso Butter

Miso and butter is one of those combinations that tastes like far more effort than it takes. Whisk the two together, spread it on the fish, and the oven does the rest.

This is a genuine weeknight recipe — the active time is about five minutes.

Why this one is iodine-rich

Salmon carries a useful amount of iodine, though less than white fish like cod or haddock. Miso adds a little more on top, and because it is a fermented soy product, it brings some real savoriness without needing a long ingredient list.

Ingredients

Serves 2.

• 2 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each, skin on
• 1 1/2 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment.
2. Mash the miso, butter, honey and rice vinegar together into a smooth paste.
3. Pat the salmon dry and place skin-side down on the pan. Spread the miso butter thickly over the top of each fillet.
4. Roast for 10–12 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish flakes easily and the top is glazed and lightly caramelized.
5. Scatter with scallion and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes and swaps

• Broil it instead. For a deeper glaze, roast most of the way through, then broil for the last 2 minutes.
• Other fish. This works well on cod or black cod too — cod will need slightly less time.
• Make it a full plate. Roast broccoli or bok choy alongside on the same pan.

Common questions

Farmed or wild salmon?
Either works here. Iodine content is not meaningfully different between the two; the bigger differences are in fat content and price.

Can I make the miso butter ahead?
Yes — it keeps a week in the fridge, so you can mix a batch and use it on fish through the week.

The food-first habit

A fifteen-minute dinner is the kind of thing that keeps a routine going. If Lugol's Iodine was how you closed a gap, meals like this are how you keep it closed without much thought.

Recipes are published for general interest and are not medical or dietary advice. Iodine requirements vary from person to person, and iodine has an upper limit as well as a recommended intake. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking thyroid medication or managing a thyroid condition, speak to your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your iodine intake. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.