This dish has always been my favorite restaurant indulgence. I don’t eat out all that often, so when I do, I try to have something I could not make at home – and until now, I assumed Miso Black Cod was in that category.
I was inspired to give it a whirl after receiving my weekly Goop email – usually containing scraps of the high-life, graciously passed down from Gwenyth herself. Her recipes are great for inspiration but i find them slightly pretentious and highfalutin for a layman such as myself. I always end up feeling slightly worse about myself and my commitment to whatever wacky health food trend is in vogue – for example, her recipe calls for nama shoyu with no explanation of what that might be…it is unpasteurized soy sauce in case you were wondering, a common ingredient in raw food cuisine. If you happen to have nama shoyu in your pantry, please feel free to use it. I used soy sauce.
This is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made, the only thing required is planning ahead so that the fish can marinate for 24-36 hours. I let it sit 24 hours and it was flaky and delicious, but I think with 36 hours it would have only gotten better. The active prep time is about 10 minutes. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
I served this with charred shishito peppers which add the perfect flavor and touch of heat without overpowering the fish.
- 1 lb black cod, cut into 3-4 fillets
- ¼ cup mirin (or white wine)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbl maple syrup (can use agave, honey, or brown sugar)
- ½ cup shiro (white) miso paste
- 1 tbl safflower oil (or other oil with a high burn temperature: canola, grapeseed, etc)
- Place fillets into a container (with a lid) that is just big enough to fit the fish if possible.
- In a small pot, combine mirin, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Cook until just bubbling at the sides, turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste. Let cool completely.
- Set aside ¼ - ½ cup of the marinade to use as a sauce later, refrigerate. Pour the rest of the marinade over the fish. The fillets do not have to be completely submerged but make sure they are fully coated. Refrigerate 24-36 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and start to warm the reserved marinade in a small pot, stirring occasionally. Remove the fish from the fridge and scrape off the marinade.
- Heat oil in an oven-safe sauté pan until almost smoking (just get it really hot).
- Sear the fillets 1-2 minutes on first side, until a dark caramelized brown, flip over and put the pan into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes and serve hot with reserved marinade.
Chrissy L says
Making this tonight with Alexandra G! Hope it turns out like yours :)