Wasabi Goat Cheese Stuffed Salmon with Miso

Miso. Oh, miso. Where have you been all my life? Alright, I do know the answer. You’re not some hot new trendy little thang; you’ve been around forever in supermarket and recipes galore. You’ve just never made your way into my lil’ kitchen.

You (reader, not miso) probably already cook with this ingredient. Because usually I’m like, the last person to catch on to anything. So for you I have another ingredient that will have you wondering just how you went so long without it.

See that? That, friends, is wasabi goat cheese that just happens to be made locally. It’s made by a creamery called Westfield Farm, which I first learned about a few years ago at the Boston Wine Festival. They were sampling one of their many flavors of goat cheese (I won’t tell you which one yet, as it will be featured in an upcoming post), and I fell in love at first taste. Maybe you can guess which one it was?

I was thrilled when I figured out that the farm is about 25 minutes from my house. (Attention Bostonians: see, there are cool things west of 495!) So I gave them a call to find out their hours – it turns out, this is goat cheese on demand, people. The hours are pretty much whenever you want them to be, as the store consists of a refrigerator full of cheese and a spot to leave your money. The honor system at its best!

On a recent trip I picked up a few flavors, including their wasabi goat cheese. I had an inkling that it would go really well with salmon, and I kept this idea filed away until I could get my hands on some really good salmon. Trust me on this one, you want to splurge on the wild Alaskan sockeye – the sweet, fresh flavor and natural bright color will make you glad you did. In the meantime, I added some of the wasabi goat cheese to some pureed cauliflower served with ginger-marinated steak tips. But, I made sure to save plenty for the salmon.

When I finally had the wasabi goat cheese AND the wild Alaskan salmon, I picked up some miso as well. Because I needed to know what I’d been missing. Most of the miso-marinated-salmon recipes I browsed called for mirin, a sweet rice wine, and unseasoned rice vinegar – two ingredients I didn’t have. A little more research told me that I could substitute white wine with a pinch of sugar for the mirin. And looking at ingredient labels in the supermarket taught me that mirin IS essentially rice wine with sugar and that seasoned rice vinegar (which I did have) also has sugar. So why not just use the seasoned vinegar? I couldn’t think of any good reason not to!

So I went ahead and mixed my marinade with miso, vermouth (which I always use rather than opening a bottle of white wine), seasoned rice vinegar, a bit of sesame oil, a touch of ginger and a pinch of stevia. Because I thought a little sweeter would be better! And the result? I was totally right. The wasabi goat cheese on its own is actually not as hot as one might expect, but when paired with the sweet salmon and miso marinade, the contrast is quite apparent – and delicious. We cooked it on the grill, though baking would be just fine too, and paired it with some grilled bok choy.

One more thing I can tell you about Westfield Farm is that it’s totally a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type place. So if you live anywhere nearby and are considering taking a drive out this way, give me a heads up first. I’ll be happy to tag along and make sure you don’t miss it. And of course, I can always find a reason – like this salmon recipe – to pick up more goat cheese!



Wasabi Goat Cheese Stuffed Salmon with Miso
Serves 2

2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon vermouth or white wine
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 large scallion, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of stevia (just a tiny pinch, don’t overdo it!) or sugar, to taste
2 teaspoons water
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

2 5oz salmon filets, preferably wild Alaskan sockeye
1 1/2 ounces Westfield Farms Wasabi Capri

Whisk together all ingredients except for the salmon and goat cheese. Place the salmon in a baking dish and pour the marinade over it, turning to coat. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375F or turn grill on medium heat. With a very sharp knife, carefully cut a slit into each of piece of salmon, so that each one opens like a book. Crumble the cheese and divide evenly among the open salmon filets; then fold each one back over. Cook on the grill on top of a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray, or on a baking sheet in the oven, for about 15 minutes or until just opaque.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 369.7
Total Fat: 19.3 g
Cholesterol: 97.3 mg
Sodium: 973.9 mg
Total Carbs: 6.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 34.2 g

I love the combination of real, wholesome ingredients used here, so I am sharing this dish for the Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop, hosted by A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa.Be sure to visit for more wholesome bites and Mediterranean fare!

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31 Responses to “Wasabi Goat Cheese Stuffed Salmon with Miso”

  1. 1

    Maria — June 29, 2010 @ 2:13 pm Reply

    Great recipe! I love the goat cheese in the center.

  2. 2

    Dawn — June 29, 2010 @ 2:20 pm Reply

    First of all SOOOO jealous about the goat cheese. LOVE goat cheese and can't imagine driving only 25 minutes and having it fresh!!!Secondly your photo turned out gorgeous. Thirdly I will have to add this to my list even though I'm not a huge salmon fan I know this recipe must be SO amazing with the wasabi.

  3. 3

    Jennifurla — June 29, 2010 @ 2:49 pm Reply

    dear lord this looks AWESOME

  4. 4

    Tasha — June 29, 2010 @ 3:17 pm Reply

    Absolutely amazing sounding!

  5. 5

    Bridget — June 29, 2010 @ 4:29 pm Reply

    I haven't cooked with miso either. I've been wanting to for a while, but I'm a little intimidated because I know so little about it. This looks like a great way to try it! With wasabi powder mixed into plain goat cheese, because there ain't no fancy cheese farms in the sticks.

  6. 6

    Kelly — June 29, 2010 @ 4:50 pm Reply

    I love cooking with Miso, although shockingly there is none in my refrigerator right now. I'll need to pick some up so I can restock. I've also never thought to stuff salmon, but this sounds fantastic.

  7. 7

    Julie — June 29, 2010 @ 5:36 pm Reply

    Once you discover miso, you never go back! It makes a great dressing, marinade, sauce, whatever! I like the use of vermouth in place of mirin, though I always make sure to have mirin stocked in my pantry. :)I recently made a wasabi "mayo" that used tofu and asian ingredients instead of mayonnaise. It was amazing! Wasabi is the best!That goat cheese sounds amazing! I wish I lived anywhere near Boston right now. Hehe.

  8. 8

    Lizzy — June 29, 2010 @ 6:24 pm Reply

    Cara- you outdid yourself again. Everytime I come to your blog I find more mouthwatering recipes! My favorite things- Salmon, check, wasabi, check, fresh goat cheese from a local farm, BIG CHECK! Great recipe.

  9. 9

    ChubbyNewlywed — June 29, 2010 @ 7:02 pm Reply

    Droooooool. I admit that I wrinkled my nose when you first mentioned wasabi goat cheese but the way you described the interaction of the sweet-ish salmon with the spicy wasabi has me very intrigued.

  10. 10

    Shannon — June 29, 2010 @ 9:28 pm Reply

    wasabi goat cheese?? holy heck, i need some of this 🙂 love the way you used it!!

  11. 11

    Joanne — June 30, 2010 @ 12:33 am Reply

    I haven't cooked with miso yet either but if there's one thing I love, it's miso marinated Japanese eggplant. So I should get on that.Wasabi goat cheese?!?!? Why can't I find anything that amazing here! The whole dish actually looks fantastic. You have a real gift for mixing and matching flavors.I totally knew I was going to be in your neck of hte woods this weekend, but I got in on Saturday morning and let Sunday morning…it was such a whirlwind. I'm planning on making another trip this summer and hopefully will get to meet up with all my favorite Boston bloggers!

  12. 12

    katiehealthforthewholeself — June 30, 2010 @ 10:55 am Reply

    I've actually never cooked with miso, but I'd like to. That goat cheese looks fantastic! Fabulous recipe!

  13. 13

    Elina — June 30, 2010 @ 12:30 pm Reply

    I tried your vermouth trick once with disastrous results. It reeked of alcohol 🙁 Not sure what I did wrong, but I'm sticking to white wine going forward. This recipe sounds fantastic. Adam hates wasabi (silly boy – it's SO good!) – do you think it will be goo with just a regular one? Maybe add some hot sauce to it or something?

  14. 14

    Barbara — June 30, 2010 @ 1:50 pm Reply

    No, Cara, you're not the last person. I am. :)This salmon recipe looks DEEvine. Where in heaven's name did you find Wasabi goat cheese??

  15. 15

    vdubb — June 30, 2010 @ 2:03 pm Reply

    Yummm I love anything with Salmon. Def my favorite fish. Thanks for the recipe!

  16. 16

    Tyler — June 30, 2010 @ 3:28 pm Reply

    this is awesome…it's like all the flavors of sushi, but cooked. AND with goat cheese, which i can never get enough of. yum!

  17. 17

    grace — June 30, 2010 @ 10:27 pm Reply

    i need to tell you how enticing you've made whipped cauliflower. wow–i never would've believed i could be so drawn to the stuff!

  18. 18

    Alanna Kellogg — July 1, 2010 @ 8:15 pm Reply

    Very pretty plate, Cara! PS Keep the faith, garden-wise. We did a whole FIELD of beets this year, not for eating, but for breaking up hard dry soil atop a ridge. Oh the first shoots were so pretty! A week later? Nothing but nubbins, thank you, deer.

  19. 19

    Dani Spies — July 1, 2010 @ 10:31 pm Reply

    Holy fancy pants that looks amazing! Thanks for the tip on mirin… I had no idea that you could sub rice wine vinegar and sugar… so clever:)

  20. 20

    Cara — July 1, 2010 @ 11:44 pm Reply

    Bridget, I think wasabi powder mixed with goat cheese is the way to go, unless you want to order the cheese online – or come visit!Elina, I'm sorry the vermouth didn't work out for you. I wonder if for some recipes it would be better to use less vermouth than wine called for? In this recipe I really liked the contrast of the wasabi with the sweet miso marinade. What about combining it with some ginger and chives, that might be interesting!Barbara, check out http://www.chevre.com for the wasabi goat cheese and other unique varieties they have!

  21. 21

    Bonnie — July 20, 2010 @ 4:29 pm Reply

    I love salmon. I have no experience with miso or wasabi goat cheese. What a cornucopia of flavors. I have to try this recipe.

  22. 22

    girlichef — July 20, 2010 @ 5:31 pm Reply

    Fabulous flavors…I love every component in this dish…I'm sure I'd love it all put together. Thanks for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week =)

  23. 23

    Beth — July 20, 2010 @ 10:29 pm Reply

    WOW! This looks fabulous! I love the combo of flavors! Wasabi goat cheese sounds incredible! I wish I lived in Boston so I could try some! Thanks for adding this great recipe to our Two for Tuesday blog hop!

  24. 24

    Butterpoweredbike — July 22, 2010 @ 3:46 am Reply

    Ok, I have got to make this, like, yesterday! Thanks for sharing at Two for Tuesdays. I hope I still have some miso kicking around at the back of my fridge.

  25. 25

    Alex@amoderatelife — July 22, 2010 @ 10:41 pm Reply

    This is another one of those Uncommon food combinations that are so intriguing! I love wasabi and goat cheese but never thought to put them together! LOVELY! Cara, you are a fine food writer and I grabbed your RSS feed and look forward to getting to know you better through your blog! Thanks for sharing this on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! 🙂 Alex@amoderatelife

  26. 26

    Christy — July 23, 2010 @ 3:30 am Reply

    You had me at wasabi goat cheese and it only got better – thanks for posting this to Two for Tuesdays!

  27. 27

    Butterpoweredbike — July 25, 2010 @ 4:10 am Reply

    Hi! I just wanted to let you know that this recipe excited me so much that I've featured it in my "Best of the Blog Hop" post. Thanks again for sharing with Two for Tuesdays.

  28. 28

    Alex@amoderatelife — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am Reply

    This is another one of those Uncommon food combinations that are so intriguing! I love wasabi and goat cheese but never thought to put them together! LOVELY! Cara, you are a fine food writer and I grabbed your RSS feed and look forward to getting to know you better through your blog! Thanks for sharing this on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! 🙂 Alex@amoderatelife

  29. 29

    Butterpoweredbike — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am Reply

    Hi! I just wanted to let you know that this recipe excited me so much that I've featured it in my "Best of the Blog Hop" post. Thanks again for sharing with Two for Tuesdays.

  30. 30

    Lizzy — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am Reply

    Cara- you outdid yourself again. Everytime I come to your blog I find more mouthwatering recipes! My favorite things- Salmon, check, wasabi, check, fresh goat cheese from a local farm, BIG CHECK! Great recipe.

  31. 31

    Maria — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am Reply

    Great recipe! I love the goat cheese in the center.

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