It’s no secret that we at Methodology absolutely love Japanese food. The cuisine is light yet flavorful, and the way the Japanese emphasize quality ingredients is a philosophy we can totally get behind. So our co-founder and CEO Julie couldn’t be more ecstatic to partner up with Yoko Nakada of Makes Miso Hungry to whip up a vibrant and zesty Japanese Yellowtail + Seaweed Soba Salad you can also recreate at home.
About Makes Miso Hungry
Yoko is a home-trained Japanese cook based in London, and through Makes Miso Hungry she shares her heritage and teaches us how to whip up Japanese dishes at home. The business was founded during the lockdown in 2020, as Yoko was getting numerous requests for recipes or for help finding Japanese ingredients. Enter her recipe boxes that have just about everything you need to cook Japanese classics—just some examples are Tofu Edamame Gyoza Dumplings, Katsu Sando (Japanese cutlet sandwiches), and Wagyu Steak—without having to leave your kitchen!
Make This Japanese Yellowtail + Seaweed Soba Salad at Home
For this recipe, Julie joined Yoko in the kitchen to prepare a light yet satisfying salad that’s perfect as a nourishing lunch on a busy weekday. Featured in the dish is Japanese yellowtail fish, a fish known for its rich and naturally sweet taste plus high amounts of protein and omega-3s. (If you can’t find yellowtail, you can absolutely sub in other fish like sea bream or sea bass.) Also in the mix are soba noodles, the classic Japanese noodle classically made with buckwheat. Of course you’ve gotta have your veg—and this recipe goes all out with lettuce, edamame, a seaweed salad, and sautéed green beans and asparagus. Trust us, this is a real party in a bowl and you can make it yourself in minutes.
Preparing soba noodles is pretty much as easy as preparing pasta; simply cook them in boiling water to your preferred doneness (Yoko prefers them al dente). Once the noodles are done just drain them and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking. The seaweed salad is made by soaking dehydrated seaweed (sold in packets) in water, then draining the liquid out.
While the noodles are cooking you can cook the fish, which you’ll want to season first with salt. Heat butter in a pan, then place the fish skin-side down over high heat for a good char. Yoko ingeniously imbues the fish with a subtle citrusy aroma and flavor by adding yuzu peel—available frozen at Asian groceries—to the sizzling butter in the pan. Flip the fish over then turn the heat down.
From there you can cook your asparagus and green beans in butter, then sprinkle on sansho (Japanese peppercorn) and black pepper for a welcome kick. Set that aside, then toss the cooked noodles with chopped lettuce and seaweed salad. Meanwhile, you can prepare the dressing by simply combining sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, agave syrup, and a touch of yuzu juice in a jar and shaking it until combined.
Now you’re ready to plate! Bring out your favorite plate or platter, then pile on the noodle mix, Japanese radish pickles if you have it (available at Japanese groceries), the sautéed asparagus and green beans, and the fish. Drizzle over dressing (note—avoid drizzling this over the fish so it doesn’t turn soggy), and sprinkle over yuzu shichimi (Japanese seven spice mix) for added zest. Ready your chopsticks, and dig in!
Japanese Yellowtail + Seaweed Soba Salad Recipe
Seaweed salad
Dehydrated seaweed
Hot water, for soaking
Pour dehydrated seaweed in bowl of water. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain.
Pan-fried yellowtail fish
Butter
Yellowtail fish fillets
Frozen yuzu peel
Heat butter until melted.
Add fish fillets skin-side down and allow to cook over high heat.
Add yuzu peel to pan.
When fish skin is crispy, flip and turn heat down. Allow fish to cook on other side.
Soba noodle salad
Soba noodles, cooked
Lettuce, chopped
Seaweed salad, rehydrated and drained
Toss together cooked soba noodles, lettuce, and rehydrated and drained seaweed. Set aside.
Sautéed asparagus and green beans
Butter
Asparagus
Green beans, trimmed
Sansho pepper
Black pepper
Heat butter until melted.
Add asparagus and green beans.
Season with sansho and black pepper to your liking.
Dressing
3 tablespoons sesame oil
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons agave
Yuzu juice
Add ingredients to jar. Shake.
To plate
Soba noodle salad
Japanese radish pickles
Pan-fried yellowtail fish
Sauteed asparagus and green beans
Edamame
Dressing
Plate soba noodle salad, sautéed asparagus and green beans, and pan-fried yellowtail fish.
Add edamame and radish pickles to soba noodle salad.
Drizzle dressing over soba noodle salad and sautéed asparagus and green beans.
Check out Makes Miso Hungry’s website.