For Broccoli Salad That Steals The Show, Add A Spoonful Of This Pantry Staple

While the classic broccoli salad is no stranger to bold flavors from standard ingredients like sharp cheddar, bacon, and all of its crunchy additions like nuts and seeds, sometimes it feels like the dressing needs a little extra zing. And that is where a pretty unlikely addition comes in: miso paste.

This Japanese paste, made from fermented soybeans, has long been a staple in East Asia, and over the last decade or two, it's been shining in some less traditional recipes too. It turns out, miso paste isn't just for soup. What you might not know is that miso and broccoli make an excellent pairing. In fact, many cruciferous vegetables like broccoli as well as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower taste even better when combined with the salty and savory notes of miso paste. Miso paste is packed with glutamates (the compounds responsible for umami) which may help to balance out some of the earthiness and bitterness of those vegetables. 

Miso's umami-rich flavor doesn't just complement the broccoli, it also enhances other classic broccoli salad ingredients like cheddar, bacon, and the creamy mayo-based dressing. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, and it highlights the richness of already rich ingredients. It makes the flavor of cheese bolder and bacon taste deeper and saltier — in fact, it is often used for glazing the most flavorful ham and other meats. It also makes mayo-based dressings richer and way more complex. Your guests won't necessarily be wondering why they all taste different, they'll just be wondering why they taste so good.

You should use white miso as it is milder, sweeter, and blends into the other ingredients so it won't just be an overwhelming miso flavor that hits your tastebuds. If you'd like it to be more pronounced and savory, you can experiment with slightly bolder yellow miso paste, but red should be used sparingly as it can quickly overpower the other ingredients. Just a little bit of miso goes a long way in adding depth. For a subtle boost, try starting with 1 teaspoon of white miso paste per half cup of mayonnaise and if you'd like a more pronounced flavor, increasing it to 2 teaspoons for a more robust note and tasting as you go.

Miso paste works well with many other ingredients that you can add to a broccoli salad. It pairs naturally with ingredients like garlic, lemon, honey, and sugar, and you can whisk any of these into the dressing for more complexity. There are more broccoli salad prep tips to bear in mind if you want this one to be the star of the potluck, but even if you only throw miso paste in the dressing, people will be lining up for your secret recipe.