Given a choice between, say, a hot dog and a piece of tuna, most kids will take the hot dog, preferably smothered in ketchup. Writer Kathleen Brennan’s son, James, however, loved eating fish, even as a toddler. “I think my Japanese mother, who took care of him while I worked, had a lot to do with that,” Brennan recalls. “She taught me how to make miso-glazed salmon when I was little, and it was one of the first recipes James and I cooked together.” This slightly Americanized version, adapted from Brennan’s book Keepers, replaces sake and mirin with white wine and sugar, but the miso still caramelizes into a delectable salty-sweet coating when broiled. Though the dish is incredibly easy to prepare (literal child’s play), it’s best when the salmon marinates for at least 8 hours, so plan accordingly.