sheet-pan miso-ginger salmon
with cauliflower rice and snap peas
If you’ve been a What To Cooker since the very beginning, you may recognize this meal. It was the third recipe I ever shared through this newsletter, meaning it’s been buried in the archives for five (!) years. Since then, it has converted many salmon haters into salmon lovers, and it’s the kind of veg-heavy, lean-protein meal we’re all craving in the wake of the holidays. There are many, many more of us here than there were five years ago, so we decided that it’s time to update it to 2026 WTC recipe guidelines and shine a spotlight on this stunner of a sheet-pan dinner again!
This is a delightful meal that consists of lean protein, a large portion of cauliflower rice, and snap peas, all cooked on one sheet pan. The miso-ginger marinade is so beyond delicious that you’ll be hunting for more ways to consume it (slather it all over chicken or pork tenderloin and roast it! Toss sautéed asparagus or green beans in a couple tablespoons of it!).
If you’re intimidated by cooking fish, this is the recipe for you. It is nearly impossible to screw up, it doesn’t make your house smell like fish, and it requires very little effort. I overcooked the salmon during one of my tests of this recipe (thanks to a screaming baby) and it was still completely tender and perfect. Cooking the salmon low and slow gives it an almost sashimi-like texture that I can’t get enough of.
Don’t love salmon? Not a fan of cauliflower rice? Can’t find miso? Can’t tolerate soy products? As always, there’s a swap for you in the notes and substitutions section beneath the recipe.
The magic of slow-roasting fish. It is practically impossible to screw up salmon — or any other thick fish filet — using this cooking method. It’s also extremely easy.
To love miso. If you don’t already own miso (aka fermented soybean paste), oh boy, are you in for a treat! Miso is salty, sweet, and savory, and adds incredible flavor to dishes. Now that you own it, you can make sheet-pan miso maple mustard chicken, sweet potato, and Brussels and sheet-pan sausage, sweet potatoes, and apples.
To harness the power of your broiler. In this recipe we’re using the broiler to lightly char the snap peas after the salmon slow roasts. Think of your broiler as the hottest setting on your oven, blasting intense heat from above (in gas ovens this is often a flame; in electric ovens it’s a super-hot heating element). When food sits close to that heat, it browns and chars fast — similar to the kind of surface char you’d get from grilling. Roast a chicken but the skin didn’t quite crisp up? Throw it under the broiler! Roast a bunch of veggies but they didn’t get golden-brown? Throw ‘em under the broiler! Just be sure to sit right in front of it with the oven light on and pull it out as soon as it’s ready. Do not let your food burn — it can happen fast.
If you, like me, are trying to cook more fish, look no further than 30-minute honey gochujang glazed salmon and broccoli bowls — a fan fave around here. And for another low-and-slow fish cooking method, make honey soy glazed cod, in which you’ll poach fish filets in a delicious pan sauce.
Serves 2 to 4
Cook time: 1 hour (20 minutes active, 40 minutes inactive)
Tools:
Small spoon
Microplane (optional)
Rimmed half sheet pan (FYI, that is the size of sheet pan I use when developing sheet-pan meals — I highly recommend them!)
Meat thermometer (if you do not own one, please, for the love, buy this now. It’s on sale for $8! You do not have x-ray vision — you can’t cook perfect meat without one!)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lime, divided
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, skin removed (optional) and grated
2 to 4 (6- to 8-ounce) salmon filets, preferably skin-on (see the notes section for how much to buy)
16-ounce bag of cauliflower rice (preferably fresh, but frozen is OK — can’t find either? See notes)
Kosher salt
16 ounces snap peas (or whatever size your bag is)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful of finely chopped soft green herbs such as cilantro, mint, basil, scallions, or chives, for garnish
In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons miso, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 1/2 a lime, and 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce.
Now, it’s ginger time. Grab a hold of it and use a small spoon to scrape the skin off of about 1 inch of ginger. Use a microplane or the smallest hole on a box grater to grate the peeled ginger straight into the bowl with the marinade. No grater? Just mince it as finely as you can with a chef’s knife. If your ginger is really fresh and has thin skin, you can skip scraping the skin off!
Run your fingers along the flesh of 2 to 4 (6- to 8-ounce) salmon filets to feel for any tiny bones that the fishmonger (yep, that’s the word for a fish butcher) may have accidentally left behind. Pull those suckers out, if you find some!
Add the salmon filets to the bowl and turn to coat them in marinade. Allow the salmon to marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours covered in the refrigerator.
When you’re about 1 hour from when you want to eat, place one oven rack in the center of the oven, and one on the top rung.
Preheat oven to 275°F.
Transfer the salmon filets from the marinade bowl to a rimmed sheet pan. Place them skin-side down and grouped tightly together — touching, so that it looks like one big piece of salmon — in one corner. Spread a thin layer of the miso-maple marinade over top of the salmon.
Keep the remaining marinade in the bowl and add to it 16 ounces of cauliflower rice and a big pinch of kosher salt. Stir until the cauliflower rice is evenly coated.
Yes, this is completely food safe, and no, it will not make the cauliflower rice taste fishy. Trust!
Transfer the cauliflower rice to the baking sheet and spread it into as even a layer as possible around the salmon. Don’t wash the bowl yet, you’re going to use it again!
Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the salmon registers 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, or 145°F for well done.
If you love sashimi, go for 125°F! If raw fish freaks you out, go for 145°F.
Meanwhile, toss 16 ounces of snap peas in the marinade bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper until coated.
Transfer the salmon to serving plates.
Turn the oven to broil on high.
Stir the cauliflower rice and spread it out across the entire baking sheet, taking up the empty space left by the salmon. Scatter the snap peas over the cauliflower rice in an even layer and return the baking sheet to the TOP rung of the oven.
Now it’s time to turn on the oven light, sit on your butt in front of the oven, and WATCH! Depending on how hot your broiler runs, it’s going to take between 3 and 5 minutes to quickly char those snap peas. When the snap peas are a bright, vibrant green and are just starting to char/blister in small spots, they’re ready. It’s OK if yours have more char (aka black spots) on them than the pic — just don’t let them burn to a crisp!
Divide the cauliflower rice and snap peas between the plates. Garnish with soft green herbs and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Cut the remaining lime half into wedges and use those for a garnish, too!
link to printer version
I hate salmon: First up, yes, you can sub a different fish for salmon (find the subs below!), but I beg of you, even if you “hate salmon,” give this a shot?! It is a completely different way of cooking salmon. I used to hate it, too, now I love it!
What kind of salmon should I buy? Any salmon will do, but personally I love Atlantic farmed salmon even though it is less nutritious and environmentally friendly. It tastes a lot better IMO.
How many salmon filets should I buy?/love your leftovers: Overall I’d recommend one filet per adult (and half a filet per kid). You could throw an extra one on there, if you want — I typically don’t recommend purposefully having fish leftovers, but because of the slow roast here, this salmon actually reheats beautifully in the microwave. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Prep ahead: The fish can marinate for up to 24 hours covered in the fridge.
Feeding kids: Lots of kids love this recipe! For what it’s worth, for a few years I called salmon “pink chicken” so Mattis would eat it.
Make cauliflower rice at home: Throw half a head of chopped-up cauliflower into the food processor, and pulse until it’s the size of rice grains. Repeat with the other half. No food processor? Grate the head of cauliflower on a box grater.
Another cauliflower side idea: If you’re in the mood for a cozy side dish, after roasting your cauliflower rice, try blending it up with 1/4 cup heavy cream to make an unbelievable cauliflower purée.
Vegetarian: Slice 1 block of firm tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cook the exact same way. When it comes time to add the snap peas, don’t remove the tofu — broil it as well. Keep an eye on it!
Dairy-free: Already is.
Gluten-free: Some, but not all, miso contains gluten so read the ingredient list to make sure you’re buying a gluten/barley-free version! Also swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari, or use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt instead.
Soy-free: See the miso and soy sauce subs below!
White or yellow miso: If you can’t find miso, or if you have a soy aversion, use Dijon or whole-grain mustard instead. You’ll end up with a maple-mustard salmon sitch and it will be fab.
Maple syrup: Brown sugar or honey
Olive oil: Avocado oil, EVOO, grapeseed oil, or another neutral cooking oil
Lime juice: Rice wine vinegar is best, but ANY clear vinegar works.
Low-sodium soy sauce: Coconut aminos, tamari, or shoyu, or just use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt instead. If you only have regular soy sauce, use 3/4 tablespoon of it + 1/4 tablespoon water.
Ginger: To make this a complete “dump” recipe, aka no chopping/grating of any kind, use 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder instead of fresh ginger. Or, omit the ginger altogether.
Salmon: Halibut, bass, arctic char, or grouper would all be great here. If you don’t want fish, chicken would be great: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Marinate them the same way, but roast at 425°F for about 20 minutes, or until 160°F internally (the temp will continue to rise to get to 165°F). When it comes time to add the snap peas, don’t remove the chicken, broil it as well. Keep an eye on it as miso can burn quickly!
Cauliflower rice: If using frozen, you don’t have to thaw it. There isn’t really another great veggie that you can slow roast alongside the salmon. But, you can make a pot of normal rice while the salmon roasts, and serve the salmon and snap peas over rice. Brown butter scallion rice would be excellent here.
Snap peas: Green beans, asparagus (cut into 2-inch pieces), snow peas, frozen edamame. Watch closely while broiling so that you don’t overcook it. Green beans will need more time, edamame will need less.
Toasted sesame seeds: The sesame seeds are pretty much only for looks (I love garnishing meals with them!) — just omit if you have none.
Soft green herbs: Omit if needed.
Click here for the full index of What to Cook recipes categorized by protein, cook time, and *mood.*
Editor: Molly Ramsey
Photographer: Bea Moreno
Trader Joe’s (and probably other stores) carries cubes of frozen ginger that are amazing. I now never have to throw away large pieces of fresh ginger that I didn’t finish. I much prefer it to dried ginger.
Can I sub frozen brown rice for the cauliflower? Cook it in the microwave and leave it marinade free?