Miso Cod (Black Cod with Miso)

Marinated in saikyo miso and baked to perfection, Black Cod with Miso (Saikyo Yaki) is a beautiful seafood dish that 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) (about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick; you can also use salmon and sea bass)
• ▢2 tsp kosher or sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• ▢2 Tbsp sake (for cleaning and removing the odor of the fish)

For the Miso Marinade with Saikyo Miso (Traditional)

• ▢6 Tbsp Saikyo miso (Kyoto-style white miso) (traditionally, Miso Cod uses this sweet white miso from Kyoto; 西京味噌)
• ▢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 substitute)

For the Miso Marinade with White Miso (Optional)

• ▢6 Tbsp white miso (if you use other types of miso than white miso, it will be saltier, so please adjust the flavor by adding more mirin or/and sugar as needed)
• ▢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 substitute)
• ▢1 Tbsp sugar (add sugar only if you do not use saikyo miso)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

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

To Marinate the Fish (two to three days before serving)

• Sprinkle salt over the fish and set it aside for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out excess moisture and reduce the odor of the fish.
• In a bowl, add the saikyo miso, mirin, and sake (and sugar, if you are using regular white miso.)
• Mix it all together and pour the marinade into a flat-bottomed 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 container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If you prefer your fish less salty (and don’t eat this dish with rice, for example), you can reduce the marination time to 1 day (or even several hours.) It depends on your preference.

To Remove the Fish from the Marinade

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

To Prepare the Fish for Cooking

• 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 the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Bake the fish on the parchment paper until the surface is blistered and browned 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 inches (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. *There are usually three broiler settings: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use the Medium (6 inches away) or High (8 inches away) setting.
• Place the fish on the foil-lined baking sheet and broil on High (550ºF/288ºC) for 8-10 minutes until the surface is blistered and browned 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 from the fish. Serve immediately. I serve the fish with thinly sliced red radishes and garnish it with a small green leaf from my backyard for additional color.
  

To Store

• You can keep the cooked leftovers 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 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. If you want to omit the mirin, 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

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