Serves 4
Ingredients
Four 8 oz black cod fillets
¼ cup sake
¼ cup mirin
4 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons sugar
24-36 hours ahead of time, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat, to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Rinse the black cod fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the marinade and place in a glass dish. Leave to marinate for 1-2 days.
Cooking: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an oven proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Place a small amount of oil in the pan, then place the fish skin side up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes until fish is opaque and flakes easily.
If you don’t want to cook the fish on a stovetop, you can broil for the same amount of time or grill on a BBQ.