Warm Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Miso Butter
Roasted parsnips, carrots, and Japanese sweet potato dressed while hot with a warm miso butter sauce, laid over peppery watercress with toasted walnuts and crispy shallots. This dish reflects the Japanese-French synthesis at the heart of modern Nobu cuisine: the technique of finishing roasted vegetables with an enriched butter sauce (beurre blanc logic) married to miso’s fermented umami. The warmth of the vegetables wilts the watercress slightly, the miso butter coats every surface, and the walnuts and shallots provide the crunch that a warm salad requires to feel complete.
Ingredients (serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Parsnips, peeled and cut into wedges | 300 g |
| Carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise | 300 g |
| Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) or regular | 300 g |
| Neutral oil | 3 tbsp |
| Shallots, thinly sliced | 3 |
| Walnuts | 60 g |
| Watercress | 120 g |
| Flaky sea salt | to taste |
| Micro herbs or chives to garnish | small handful |
| For warm miso butter dressing | |
| White (shiro) miso | 2 tbsp |
| Unsalted butter | 60 g |
| Mirin | 2 tbsp |
| Rice vinegar | 1 tbsp |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tsp |
| Fresh ginger, grated | 1 tsp |
| Warm water | 1–2 tbsp (to loosen) |
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Toss root vegetables with 2 tbsp neutral oil and a good pinch of salt. Spread on a baking tray and roast 30–35 minutes, turning once, until caramelised and tender. Set aside but keep warm.
- Toast walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.
- Fry shallots: heat remaining oil in a small saucepan to 160°C. Fry shallot rings until golden, 4–5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately.
- Make the warm miso butter: melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in miso until combined. Add mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. Stir in warm water until the dressing flows easily — it should be the consistency of a thin beurre blanc. Keep warm.
- Arrange watercress on a serving platter. Lay roasted vegetables over the top while still warm — the heat will slightly wilt the leaves.
- Spoon warm miso butter generously over the vegetables.
- Top with crispy shallots, toasted walnuts, and micro herbs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The miso butter must be used warm; it seizes and becomes pasty if allowed to cool before dressing.
- Yuzu zest grated over the finished plate adds a fragrant citrus lift.
- Alternatively, try with roasted beetroot — the sweetness against miso is outstanding.
- This works as a first course or as a side to miso-marinated black cod.
Dressing: Warm-Miso-Butter-Dressing