The Secret Umami Ingredient That Adds A Punch To Canned Meats

Canned meats are an economical source of protein with a much longer shelf life than fresh varieties, making them great ingredients to have tucked away in your pantry for culinary emergencies. There are also many types of canned meat, ranging from fish such as tuna and salmon to lean proteins like chicken, so they can be used in a wide range of recipes. However, just as you would when cooking any meat, you may want to add a bit of extra flavor — even if you're enjoying a simple tuna or chicken salad sandwich.

Miso paste is a secret ingredient that will immediately make your canned meats taste gourmet and bring in an irresistible umami flavor. In fact, consider it a secret weapon in your pantry because of how much flavor a mere spoonful or two can introduce to a dish. Miso, a fermented soybean paste, adds saltiness and earthiness to deepen and amplify the flavor of canned meats. It's also an easy component to incorporate due to its thick texture. If you're creating a sauce of sorts for your canned meat, miso blends seamlessly with condiments like mayo and can also be nicely distributed through more watery bases like lemon juice. Or, if you're making simple patties, it mixes just as well with the meat alone, coating it with that umami flavor.

So, you've decided on a recipe and are in search of miso paste to add that little something extra. However, there's more than one type of miso paste, and you're not sure which one would work best. There's not really a wrong answer. Miso works as a seasoning, so you have to experiment to figure out what you prefer. Still, knowing a bit more about the flavor profiles of the different types of miso can help.

With a slight sweetness and subtle, delicate flavor, white miso is the mildest option because it's only fermented for a period of three months to a year rather than the longer fermentation periods other miso pastes undergo. It's mildness makes it a good fit for just about any canned meat, but it goes particularly well with chicken or white fish such as cod or pollock. Red miso has a more intense flavor, adding a heftier dose of saltiness to your dish and working well with bolder, oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. Yellow miso falls somewhere in between, without the sweetness of white miso but not quite as flavorful as red miso. The color of miso paste is the best guideline for choosing one that will enhance and not overwhelm your dish. Typically, the longer the fermentation time, the darker the miso, and consequently, the deeper and more intense the taste.