Fish is one of those things that I always vow I’ll cook more of. The other day I had a fabulous miso black cod at my favourite sushi joint and it was so good I was inspired to make it at home. Black cod is buttery, rich and silky.
Miso black cod was made popular by Nobu and most of the recipes on the internet are for his miso marinated black cod. It’s a simple recipe: black cod is marinated in sake, mirin, shiro miso and sugar. If the ingredients for the marinade sound familiar, well, they are, the miso marinade is essentially the same as dengaku, the traditional miso based sauce used for grilling.
The resulting fish is tender and moist with a hint of salty, sweet, slightly caramelized goodness. You can really taste the interplay between the flavour of the fish and the flavour of the marinade.
Miso Marinated Black Cod Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com
2 tablspoons sake
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1.5 tablespoons sugar2 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound (230 g) each
Bring the sake and the mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the miso until dissolved. Turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to steep in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
To cook, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets but don’t rinse it off. Bake the fish for 10 to 15 minutes. To finish, turn the broiler on and watch carefully as the fish caramelizes and turns slightly golden. Remove and enjoy hot.
