Nobu Miso Black Cod
Nobu miso black cod may not be as trendy as it once was, but rest assured that it was popular for a reason. This buttery, super-savory, gently sweet dish hits all the right notes, and it's truly easy to make. Don't miss it.
Servings: 4
Calories: 253kcal
Ingredients
- 4 pieces black cod fillet about 6 ounces/(170 grams) each, skin on
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry sake
- ½ cup (120 ml) mirin
- ½ cup (120 grams) white miso paste
- 6 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil
Instructions
- Pat fillets dry with paper towels.
- Combine sake and mirin in a small pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 seconds to cook off alcohol.
- Off the heat, whisk in miso paste and sugar.
- Return pot to medium heat and simmer, whisking constantly, for one minute.
- Pour marinade into a large baking dish and cool to room temperature.
- Place fish, skin-side up, into baking dish with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat on the stovetop.
- Gently wipe off any excess marinade clinging to the fish.
- Carefully pour the oil into the pan.
- Arrange the fish fillets skin-side-up in an uncrowded single layer.
- Cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes.
- Flip and continue cooking until the skin side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily. Remove any pin bones from the fish with tweezers before serving (they'll be running in a line down the center of the fillet).
Notes
- I like to include the crispy skin in this dish, but you can start with skinless fillets if that's what you can find.
- This is a flexible recipe. You can marinate for anywhere between 24 and 72 hours and end up with a fabulous result. Longer marination will result in a bit of a denser flesh, since more curing will occur. The fish in the photos here was in the fridge for about 36 hours, which is plenty of time to create great flavor and a bit of a shellacked exterior.
- You can double the quantity of fish and still use the same amount of marinade. If cooking in pans, use two or cook in batches to prevent crowding while searing.
- I don't recommend cooking this recipe in advance — it only takes a few minutes, and the dish will be at its best shortly after cooking. That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and are delicious reheated (in the oven, toaster oven, or at half power in the microwave) or served cold.
- Alternative cooking methods: If you prefer, you can broil or grill the fish. To broil, preheat your oven broiler (on high, if there's a choice) with a rack 6 inches below. Broil, flipping halfway through, until fish is browned on top and bottom and just opaque and flaky throughout. Or preheat a well-oiled grill to high. Place fillets skin-side down and cook for about four minutes, then flip carefully with a fish spatula (or two) and continue cooking until top side is browned and fish is just opaque and flaky throughout. Carefully remove from grill and serve skin-side down. At the risk of giving you too many options, one final method is to skip the searing step and simply bake the fish. You can do this on a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a cast iron skillet. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 220mg