Recipes

Umami Recipes

A roundup of umami-packed recipes using ingredients like miso, parmesan, kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and tomatoes.
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It's so easy to get deep, rich flavor with these five umami boosters—miso, Parmesan, kombu, shiitake mushrooms, and tomatoes—that you can work them into everything from jams and cookies to sides and steaks. Here are 40 recipes that use one (or more) of these umami-loaded ingredients.

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    5/39

    Ginger-Miso-Glazed Eggplant

    This Japanese eggplant recipe is all about that umami-rich miso glaze. Can't find long, skinny, Japanese eggplants? The glaze is good on all varieties of eggplant (and hey, carrots, too).

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  • Image may contain Food Steak Plant Dish and Meal
    6/39

    Miso-Yaki Sea Bass

    The miso marinade lightly cures the fish, which results in a pleasantly firm texture and great flavor.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Dish Food Meal Pottery Vase Jar Plant and Stew
    Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    9/39

    Chicken and Vegetable Miso Soup

    At home, chef Gregory Vernick (Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia) always keeps miso on hand for an umami blast in everything from braises and mayo to this Asian-leaning chicken soup. You won’t believe how much depth it adds to canned broth.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Pizza Vegetable Produce Dish and Meal
    Christina Holmes
    10/39

    Scrambled Eggs with Spinach & Parmesan

    Pull the eggs off the heat when they still look a little loose; carryover cooking will do the rest.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Soup Bowl Curry Pizza Plant and Stew
    Alanna Hale
    17/39

    Mapo Tofu

    This mapo tofu recipe comes from chef Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese restaurant.

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  • Image may contain Food Egg Pasta Noodle Plant Produce Vermicelli and Sprout
    18/39

    Shoyu Ramen

    Bringing ramen home takes a trip to an Asian market, three days of work, and your largest pot, but this low-stress (really!) labor of love might be the best soup you'll ever make.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Dish Food Meal and Soup Bowl
    ©Romulo Yanes
    31/39

    Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil

    This baked flounder is so easy, so flavorful, and so ready to land on your dinner table. Pro tip: The recipe works best in summer when tomatoes are ripe and abundant.

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    32/39

    Oil-Poached Tomatoes

    Chop up these tangy, meaty tomatoes and use them as an all-purpose summer condiment on sautéed vegetables, salads, pasta, or cooked grains.

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  • Image may contain Food Oatmeal Breakfast Pizza and Bowl
    35/39

    Tomato Risotto

    Finishing this risotto with Tomato Water in place of stock gives it a pure, bright tomato flavor.

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  • Image may contain Food Pizza Pie Dessert Cake and Tart
    36/39

    Tomato Frittata

    Adapted from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray, Ruth Rogers, and Michael Joseph. Copyright Rose Gray 2009.

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Danielle Walsh is the assistant web editor at Bon Appétit, and has also written for New York Magazine's Grub Street. She loves Korean food, tacos, and whiskey, and is trying really, really hard to like sardines. ... Read More
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