Steaming is such a simple and easy way to cook fish and veggies. When paired with a delicious broth or sauce and some crunchy, tangy toppings, it turns into something magical. Salmon and broccoli get steamed until the fish is flaky and broccoli is bright green and perfectly cooked. Tahini and miso create a creamy, umami-packed broth that you’ll scoop up with every bite. Crunchy tangy veggies and fresh herbs brighten it up and add texture. This meal feels very healing, satiating, and comforting all at once!
Ingredient highlight
Broccoli! This mighty cruciferous veggie is packed full of nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, fiber, iron and calcium. It’s also loaded with antioxidant compounds like sulforaphane, kaempferol, and quercetin. Plus, it’s large tree-like flowery heads absorb sauces extremely well, making it one of my favorite veggies for things like stir-fry’s and anything with a sauce or dressing!
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 1-1.25 lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets (about 2 heads)*
- 2-3 cups thinly sliced raw crunchy veg**
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp rice vinegar, divided
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- ¾ cup hot water
- 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- Cooked rice or rice noodles, for serving (optional)
- Chopped cilantro or scallions, for topping
- Pickled ginger, for serving (or other pickled or fermented veg)(optional)
- *Keep the broccoli in bite-sized florets. If they are smaller, they will cook much faster and if they’re very large, they’ll take longer to cook.
- **Cucumber, fennel, cabbage, carrot, radish, etc!
- Note: ~ to stretch the broth, add more water and a touch more tahini.
Instructions
- (Cook rice or rice noodles separately, if using).
- Fill a large pot with a couple inches of water. Place a steamer basket inside.
- Season the salmon flesh with about ½ teaspoon salt all over, then arrange the fillets into the steamer basket, skin-side-down (to prevent sticking, you can lightly oil the salmon skin). Cover with a lid, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a rapid simmer for 5 minutes.
- At this point, check the doneness of the salmon filets – they should flake easily with a fork and no longer be translucent in the thickest part. If they are very thin, they might be cooked through, if they are thicker, they’ll need a few more minutes. If they are just on the cusp of being cooked through, steam it for another minute before adding the broccoli.
- Remove any filets that are cooked through, then scatter the broccoli all around. Cover and simmer/steam for 3-5 more minutes or until the broccoli is fork-tender and the salmon is cooked through.
- Remove the steamer basket from the pot to cool off a bit. You can transfer the salmon to a cutting board to remove the skin, if you’d like. Keep the salmon whole or break it into chunks.
- Toss your raw crunchy veg with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, add the tahini, miso, and water. Mash/mix it together to dissolve the miso paste, then stir in the soy sauce and remaining 2 teaspoons of vinegar. The texture should be brothy – if it’s too thick, add a bit more water.
- Assemble your bowls – add the rice or noodles (if using), salmon, and broccoli to the bowl. Pour in ¼ of the tahini broth. Top with the crunchy veg, herbs, and pickled ginger (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Chop 4-6 cups broccoli florets
- Thinly slice 2-3 cups crunchy veg + toss in vinegar/salt
- Mix together tahini “broth”
- Cook rice or rice noodles (optional)
- Chop cilantro or scallions, for topping
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, use tofu cubes in place of salmon.
- You can replace the salmon with a white fish, if you’d like. It may take longer or shorter depending on the thickness.
- You could also replace the salmon with shrimp (this will cook much faster) or even chicken breasts (cut them in half lengthwise so they cook faster).
- Any non-starchy veg can be used in place of broccoli, like cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, carrots (cut small) (just keep in mind how long each veggie takes to cook).
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Salmon: up to 4 days
- Broccoli: up to 6 days
- Tahini broth: up to 7 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the tahini broth, then rice (if using), salmon, and broccoli in the microwave until just warm. You can thin out or stretch the broth with some water, if needed. Top with veg, herbs, and squeeze of lime or lemon.
- Another option is to add the tahini broth, rice (if using), salmon (flaked up), and broccoli to a pot and simmer until warmed through (add more water as needed). Then it’s more like a real brothy soup!
- Add a fried or soft-boiled egg on top.
leave your comments!