Baked salmon marinated in miso

Salmon was not a popular fish in Japan and was not commonly used in cooking. The reason is that species that live near its shores suffer from parasites. It was the Norwegians who literally forced salmon on the Japanese plates in the 1980s. They had their own kind of salmon without parasites and in such quantities that they didn't know where to sell it. So they came up with a campaign based on salmon sushi and pushed it on the Japanese until it became a global symbol for sushi itself... I treat myself to this fish as a reward, and honestly, I often don't even cook rice to go with it. I want to enjoy it to the fullest without anything else. If you try preparing it yourself, you'll understand why.

Ingredients

approx. 200g salmon fillet
30 ml soy sauce
30 ml mirin
20 ml sake
100 ml water
1 tablespoon shiro miso
1 tablespoon aka miso.
Sesame
Dried or fresh shiso leaves

Preparation

1. First, remove all the scales from the skin of the fillet. Arm yourself with patience and a sharp knife, as this can be a bit tricky. I have found that it works best to scrape the scales off perpendicularly with the blade of the knife, against and in the direction of their growth. Don't be afraid to carefully rinse the fish skin under running water... It will work. If you happen to have bought salmon without scales, congratulations, you've hit the jackpot.
2. Carefully dry the scaled fish with paper towels and set aside for a moment.
3. Prepare the marinade in a sealable plastic bag by mixing soy sauce, mirin, sake, and water. Finally, add all the miso and close the bag. Knead the mixture to combine it into a thin paste.
4. Place the fillet in the bag and cover it as thoroughly as possible with the marinade on all sides. Ideally, close the bag again and carefully massage the marinade into the fish. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag and leave the fish to rest in the marinade for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 °C, line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly grease it with oil.
6. Remove the fillet from the marinade and wipe it off the surface of the meat with your fingers. Wipe the skin with a paper towel. Otherwise, the marinade will quickly burn on the surface of the fish and the skin will stick to the baking sheet.
7. Bake the fish for 14-18 minutes, depending on its weight and the power of your oven. For a 150-gram fillet in an electric oven, I prefer 14 minutes. Finding the ideal time is the most important thing, but it takes practice. Try it once and you'll know whether to add or subtract time. The goal is for the fish to remain moist, tender and flake nicely under chop sticks.
8. Serve the fish with or without rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds and seasoning made from dried shiso leaves. Fresh shiso leaves can be chopped into thin strips, similar to basil.