Miso is best known for miso soup, and I’ve always enjoyed a good bowl. But there’s more to this salty, fermented soybean paste than what’s in the bowl that precedes your sushi order. Miso is as versatile as mayonnaise and comes in a spectrum of colors, each with different formulations and properties.
Darker shades of miso have more flavor, with red miso, which is fermented with barley, having the deepest flavor. This makes red miso the usual choice in miso soup. White miso, made from a combination of fermented soybeans and rice, is the mellowest on the spectrum. It’s so mild and sweet that you can eat it straight off a spoon. I had never tried white miso until I needed some for a white miso-glazed baked salmon recipe.
