Marinades are great for Blackcod with its higher oil content and denser flesh. It’s also very forgiving to overcooking. If you are a novice or nervous about cooking fish because you think you’re going to ruin it, this might be the perfect fish for you.
I love cooking with miso especially when it comes to Sablefish (Blackcod). Combine that with sake and it’s a match made in heaven. Who better to learn about this then from the legendary Nobu Matsuhisa’s. If you choose to bake your Blackcod, I like to finish with a nice ~3 minute broil to make sure I get that beautiful crust layer on top. Pan searing works great too, just be sure and leave off any excess marinade to keep your pan clean. Prepare in advance so you give your fish enough time to marinade and soak up the great flavors. Blackcod has dense and velvety flesh so it does well with longer marinade times. I’d say this serves anywhere between 2 to 3 people. We are not shy about seconds or leftovers in this household so I typically pull out a whole fillet for the two of us.
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Sake Miso Marinated Alaskan Blackcod
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 8-ounce black cod portions or 1 large fillet
- 3 Bok choy
- 4 garlic coves minced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Put the sake and mirin into a saucepan over a high heat to burn off some of the alcohol.
- Turn the heat down, add the miso and sugar and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Leave to one side and allow to cool.
- Cut up the Blackcod fillet into 6-8oz portions if using a large fillet. Marinate the black cod in the sake miso mixture, cover and leave in the fridge for 12 - 72 hours.
- Remove the fish from the marinade and gently wipe off any excess.
- To Bake cover a baking sheet with some kitchen foil and place the fish onto it. Put under a hot grill for 5 minutes or until golden and caramelized: it should be a bit scorched on the edges without being burnt. There is no need to turn the fish as it cooks very quickly.
- Or to pan sear, place in hot pan with oil. Start with flesh side down for about 5 minutes. Should have a crusty top layer. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. The Blackcod should flake open.
- While your blackcod is cooking, heat another pan or wok, add the sesame oil and stir fry the bok choy, ginger and garlic until the bok choy is just slightly tender. Scatter the sesame seeds over.
- To plate, put the black cod on top of the bok choy and serve with Rice.