Soba Noodle Soup with Salmon, Shiitakes, and Peas

I love Asian soup noodles, but thought they’d be too complicated to make on my own. When a Japanese food-loving friend requested a light, healthy meal for our catch up dinner the other night, I picked up an advanced copy of The Very Best of Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman (Rodale, on sale August 31) and immediately took to this recipe. (Full disclosure: I work for the publishing company). Even without my affiliation, I’ve always found Recipes for Health, the popular New York Times recipe column, to be a great resource for healthy, tasty meals.

The freshness and pop of the peas is a great complement to the earthy, chewy mushrooms. My friend commented that the salmon was cooked perfectly- and all I had to do was drop it in and put on the lid!

Makes 4 servings
- 1 oz (about 10) dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 cups kombu dashi stock, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- Soy sauce or salt
- 1 pound green peas- 6 oz Japanese soba noodles, cooked, and tossed with 2 tsp Asian sesame oil or canola oil (these can be cooked ahead of time, just toss them with oil and refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days)
- 12-16 oz salmon fillet without skin, trimmed of fat, and cut into 4 equal pieces
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts kept separate

Equipment:
- Stock pot
- Cheesecloth
- Sieve
- Deep soup bowls for serving

1. Place dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Bring the stock to a simmer in a soup pot. Pour the hot stock over the mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over the soup pot. Squeeze the mushrooms over the sieve. Slice the mushroom caps and discard the hard stems. Set aside.

2. Return the stock in the soup pot to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding soy sauce or salt as desired. Add the peas and simmer 5 minutes. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a sieve and dipping the sieve into the simmering broth. Distribute the noodles among 4 deep soup bowls.

3. Add the mushrooms, salmon, and light parts of the scallions to the simmering stock. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes without removing the cover. The salmon should be just cooked through. Leave for another 5 minutes if it is not.

4. Place a piece of salmon on top of the noodles in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, taking care to distribute the peas, mushrooms, and scallions evenly. Sprinkle on the dark green part of the scallions and serve.