Miso Cod (Black Cod with Miso)

Marinated in saikyo miso and baked to perfection, Black Cod with Miso is a beautiful seafood dish you can pull off at home. With its delicate and buttery texture, the Miso Cod simply melts in your mouth. Just like Nobu's!

Miso Cod (Black Cod with Miso)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 fillets sablefish (gindara) (you can also use salmon and sea bass; roughly 1 inch thickness)
• ▢2 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• ▢2 Tbsp sake (For cleaning and removing unwanted odor of the fish.)

Miso Marinade with Saikyo Miso (Traditional)

• ▢6 Tbsp saikyo miso (kyoto-style white miso) (Traditionally Miso Cod (Saikyo Yaki) uses sweet white miso from Kyoto called saikyo miso 
• ▢3 Tbsp mirin
• ▢3 Tbsp sake (Sometimes we can replace sake with water; however, this recipe requires longer marination and water is not a suitable substitution)

Optional – Miso Marinade with White Miso

• ▢6 Tbsp white miso (You "can" use other types of miso than white miso, but it will be saltier, so please adjust the flavor by balancing out the mirin or/and sugar)
• ▢3 Tbsp mirin
• ▢3 Tbsp sake (Sometimes we can replace sake with water; however, this recipe requires longer marination and water is not a suitable substitution)
• ▢1 Tbsp sugar (Add sugar only when you do not use saikyo miso)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Gather all the ingredients. As you will be marinating this fish for a few days, select the freshest fish possible.
  

2 to 3 Days Beforehand

• Sprinkle salt over the fish and set aside for 30 minutes. Salt will draw excess moisture and any fishy smell from the fish.  
• In a bowl, add saikyo miso, mirin, and sake (and sugar, if you are using regular white miso).
• Mix all together and pour the marinade into a flat bottom airtight container.
• Pour 2 Tbsp sake over the fish to rinse off the salt. Gently pat dry with a paper towel to remove the moisture. Do not wash the fish under running water.
• Place the fish in the container and coat both sides of the fish with the marinade.
• Slather the fillets with the marinade. Cover the lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If you prefer less salty (and don't eat this dish with rice, for example), you can cut down to 1 day (or even several hours). It depends on your preference.

After Marinating (& Storing Pre-Cooked Fish)

• With your fingers, remove the marinade off the fish completely. Do not leave excess miso on the fish; otherwise, the fish will burn easily. At this point, you can individually wrap the fish with plastic and store in the freezer bag for up to 2-3 weeks.

To Cook the Miso Cod

• Place the fish skin side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone mat (for baking) or foil (for broiling).

To Bake (Recommended)

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200ºC) with a rack placed in the center of the oven. For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Bake the fish on parchment paper until the surface is blistered and brown a bit, about 20 minutes. You do not need to flip the fish.

To Broil (Optional)

• Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 8" (20 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don't control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It's similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. *Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use the medium (6" away) or high (8" away).
• Broil high (550ºF/288ºC) for 8-10 minutes until the surface is blistered and brown a bit. Please remember the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish and the distance between the broiler and the food. You do not need to flip the fish.

To Serve

• Carefully remove the fish with a spatula, and remove any burnt miso around the fish. Serve immediately. I serve the fish with thinly sliced red radish and a small green leaf from my backyard for additional color.

To Store

• You can keep the leftover (cooked) in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.

NOTES

• Sake: Sake is used to clean and remove the unwanted odor of the fish. You can’t replace it with water even though sometimes water is used as a replacement in some recipes. We will marinate the fish for a longer time, and water can go bad and ruin the marinade and fish.
• Mirin: Typically mirin can be replaced with water and sugar, but for this recipe, please do not use water. Use sugar only. For 1 Tbsp mirin, use 1 tsp sugar.

NUTRITION

Calories: 136 kcal · Carbohydrates: 2 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 80 mg · Sodium: 705 mg · Potassium: 411 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 15 IU · Calcium: 17 mg · Iron: 1 mg

https://www.justonecookbook.com/black-cod-with-miso/?utm_source=Just+One+Cookbook+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1503fad791-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_06_17_04_22_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_366dec22de-1503fad791-111721857