How To Make Miso Marinade

White miso soybean paste, light brown sugar, and two Japanese rice wines known as sake and mirin are blended together to make a flavorful miso marinade that tenderizes proteins and can be used for broiled or baked fish or poultry.

Miso, or fermented soybean paste, is a Japanese condiment that comes in many varieties depending on the region they are from. They can be dark or light and taste sweet or salty. The most common kinds of miso are shiro (white) miso and aka (red) miso. Miso comes in a small container but it's typically mixed with other ingredients, as it's a paste.

The most common uses are for miso soup, sauces, marinades like this one, along with tofu and vegetarian side dishes. (Miso even works well in some baked goods, too.) This recipe calls for shiro (white) miso paste, which is a little sweeter and milder than aka (red) miso.

Sake is a Japanese wine made from fermented rice. While sake can be quite potent, mirin is a low-alcohol sweet rice wine that some say helps mask the smell of fish and seafood. They work together well in this recipe. The ingredients come together for a balance of sweet, savory, salty, umami miso marinade.