Popularized by Nobu Matsuhisa in his eponymous restaurant, Black Cod with Miso has become an instant classic associated with Japanese food. The irony is that black cod (or more accurately Sablefish), is not native to the waters around Japan and is imported from the US and Canada.
Contrary to popular belief, Sablefish is actually not a type of cod at all, yet its similar appearance has gotten it nicknamed black cod, silver cod, blue cod, and coal cod depending on where you live. It's rich flaky white meat is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and in terms of texture, it's a dead ringer for Patagonian Toothfish (a.k.a. Chilean Sea Bass)
While both suffer from a case of mistaken identity, and have a similar texture, there is one important distinction between the two. Patagonian Toothfish is overfished and not sustainable because of its lifecycle, as well as how it's typically caught. Sablefish on the other hand earns a FSSI (Fish Stock Sustainability Index) of 4 (the best possible rating) from the NOAA, making it an excellent alternative.
In Japanese cuisine rich fish like "gindara" (銀鱈 - silver cod) are often prepared as kasuzuke and grilled. Marinated for a few days in sakekasu (the lees leftover from the production of sake), the fish takes on a marvelous earthy flavor that compliments the rich creamy texture of the sablefish. The trouble is that it's difficult to find sakekasu in the US, which is probably one of the reasons why Nobu chose another common way of marinate fish: misozuke.
Miso is a flavorful, fermented soybean paste, rich in umami, that is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine. It's used in everything from soups to sauces, and when it's combined with some sake and sugar it creates an addictive marinade that's perfect for pairing with fatty fish like Black Cod or Splendid Alfonsino.
Serve this Miso Glazed Cod with Japanese short grain rice, ohitashi, and Japanese pickles. It also packs well into a bento box, like my Japanese Breakfast Bento. You'll be eating like you woke up in a Ryokan.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ginger juice
- 2 tablespoons yellow miso
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons evaporated cane sugar
- 2 pieces Sablefish (a.k.a. Black Cod)
Instructions
- To make the ginger juice, just grate the ginger into a bowl and squeeze the pulp to get the juice. Put the miso, mirin, sugar and ginger juice into a Ziploc bag and swish it around to combine.
- Add the sablefish to the bag and move the fish around to coat evenly. Press out as much air from the bag as you can (I usually set the bag on the countertop, partially seal the bag, then press out the air before sealing it all the way). This helps the marinade surround the fish. Put the bag in the fridge and marinate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
- When you're ready to grill it, move your oven rack to the upper middle position and preheat your broiler for about 5 minutes. Oil a wire rack with a paper towel and vegetable oil, then place it over a baking sheet.
- Scape the excess marinade off each fillet with your fingers, and then place the sablefish on the rack. Put the sheet in the oven and grill until golden brown, and the meat flakes easily.
- Serve the miso glazed cod with steamed rice.
Nam Mujaya says
yummy
Isabel says
I used 1 1/2 TBS red miso and it came out AMAZING!!!!!
I actually made an entire miso, No-Recipes meal.
Red miso soup, Miso Cod and Miso-glazed potatoes.
Bowls and plates were licked cleaned. Sooooooo good.
Thanks again Marc, I LOVE this site 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Isabel, red miso tends to have a stronger taste and is sometimes more salty, but as long as you're aware of that and make adjustments as needed, it should work fine.
Isabel says
Hi Marc! Is it ok to use red miso?
Marc Matsumoto says
Mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine. If you live in an area that has Asian markets, chances are any regular supermarket with an asian section will sell it.
Guest says
What is mirin? Can I find this in an Asian market?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Doraemon, if you're in the US, most ovens have a "boil" setting, If you're oven doesn't have one, use the highest temperature your oven will go to. As for the length of time it's going to depend on how thick your fish is and how hot your broiler is. The best way to tell if your fish is split one of your fillets in half at the thickest part using a fork. It should flake easily and if you look inside it should be opaque (not translucent). You can also use an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should read between 135-140 F.
Doraemon says
How many minutes to bake/ broil and how many degree do I need to use?
sambalamba says
pro tip: freeze your ginger fingers prior to use. When you're ready to use it, microwave until defrosted then squeeze out the juice by hand. It will be much softer and you'll be able to get much more juice from a smaller piece of ginger. and you can cut up candy the squeeze-dried pieces and add them to chicken salad.
Roman Taylor says
this is amazing with Halibut as well
fish lover says
Found Black Cod at Fresh Foods, it is in season now!
Kelly Siew says
My favourite way of cooking fish! Just blogged about this not long ago, but I couldn't find black cod so I just used the regular ones. Also used the same marinade on Salmon, worked well too.
Kelly Siew says
My favourite way of cooking fish! Just blogged about this not long ago, but I couldn't find black cod so I just used the regular ones. Also used the same marinade on Salmon, worked well too.
eng ting ting says
Thanks for the explanation. No wonder the cod I buy from the grocer tastes different!
Marc Matsumoto says
I don't think sablefish is native to the waters around NZ, so unless it's imported you might not be able to find it. Check Wikipedia for other common names for this fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sablefish
Any oily flaky white-meat fish will work, so if you can't find sablefish, try it with something else.
Genie says
I always find the different names for fish very confusing. Who knew that black cod wasn't even a cod? Not sure if we have anything similar here in New Zealand as we don't even have Chilean Sea Bass.
Kathy says
I actually made your previous gindara saikyoyaki recipe just a few days ago and thought it was awesome -- the minced garlic and ginger truly added to the flavor, while I liked that your recipe didn't require a whole cup of miso that almost all gets thrown out. (Also for that recipe I used turnip greens instead of broccoli rabe since the former is so easy to find in Japan these days while I've never seen the latter, and it worked very well.) I notice this new recipe has fewer ingredients in the marinade but is still economical with the miso. Will definitely be trying it out soon -- thanks!
Rumana says
Awesome dish....
Busy mom says
Marc:
We tried your recipe today, and it's a big hit! I did this at the last minute without having the time to marinate the fish overnight, but it tasted delicious regardless, with the sauce I made with the scraped-off miso paste and the juice from the fish itself. I bet it will be even more delicious next time when it's marinated. Like you said, this recipe works better than the usual soy marinade. Thank you for sharing!
Jane @ Built in Cookers says
We have a holiday weekend come up this weekend. Also my sons birthday, I was looking for something perfect for my menu plan and this looks amazing.
We Are Never Full says
ahhhh... love this dish. it's the dish that put nobu on the culinary map and one of the things that made Nobu Matsuhisa famous. look at that skin, marc. damn. sustainable to boot.
Recipes Writer says
That looks amazing.
Elaine from Cookware Help says
First time to this blog. Got stumbled here while I was searching for a recipe for black cod fish. I must say, your blog has georgeous photos and I'm loving how you present your recipes here. And this dish is just so perfect for my menu plan for the coming Holy Week. I’ll be sure to come back to your blog often.
Robin says
I spent many too many shopping trips devoted to finding sablefish before I realized it was the black cod I'd so often eaten before. Ah, fish names. I'm really interested to try natto now, slimy okra-like fermented cheese-ish sounds right up my alley! 🙂
Kristin Conroy says
Mmmm...I'm reading this before breakfast and I actually want to chow down on that right now! I love how the bass is teetering on the gorgeous mound of rabe. Adding it to my shopping list!
Divina says
Gorgeous dish. Simple yet sublime.
Trissa says
I love this style of cooking and I love cod fish. I've always felt guilty eating it as I knew it was not sustainable but knowing that black cod is - well this is the best news I've heard today!Thanks!
Debi (Table Talk) says
Beautiful crispy skin--- this fish is exactly what I like to have for dinner!
Heather says
Natto...the first time I tried it was in Hawaii, and let's just say it took many mouthfuls of gohan to smother the taste! But this misoyaki cod would require no such dilution. Gorgeous.
Marc Matsumoto says
Sake kasu:-) I love it too!
katiek says
I'm totally into this. Also, I love the black cod they sell that has been marinated in that sake sediment. Forgetting the name, not the sublime flavor.
Marc Matsumoto says
The sea bass they sell at WF is MSC certified. But the problem with itis that it has an unusually high mercury content.
chef E says
Miso marinade for my sea bass is the beginning journey into Asian recipes I had not tried before...WF quite selling certain fish years ago when I lived in Dallas, and now I feel guilty buying my main ingredient without really knowing!Yours looks gorgeous as usual!
chef E says
Now I feel guilty, Whole Foods many years ago would not sell chilean sea bass because of sustainability, and now you see it here and there, even WF, so I bought it, but I wonder...Love your dish, and I loved making Miso marinade, my beginning journey into my Asian cooking!
Marc Matsumoto says
I actually just left it out the second day I made this. The broccolirabe and garlic do just fine on their own, but potatoes sound goodtoo.-Marc
Marc Matsumoto says
Daylight is always best, but I use a cheap Ikea lamp with a rice papershade and a 40w compact fluorescent bulb that's daylight coloured.Then to get rid of the shadows, I have someone hold a piece of whitefoamcore board opposite the lamp to reflect some light on the otherside. Email me if you need more specific.
Marc Matsumoto says
Red miso tends to be saltier, so you may need to increase the amountof sugar a little to compensate. Otherwise it should work just fine.
Marc Matsumoto says
Nope, just a quick weeknight thing:-) The cod was on sale, and if youhave the fish marinated it comes together in about 10 minutes.
Marc Matsumoto says
Honestly, the broccoli rabe and garlic go beautifully together. Thatsaid if you want that nuttiness, percorino sounds like a great choice.
Marc Matsumoto says
There are lots of Japanese people that don't even like it, so I can'tblame you. If you want to ease into it (and are okay with the slimytexture), try adding minced green onion. It also helps to buy a brandwith a good sauce packet (plain soy sauce isn't as good as the onesthat come with dashi flavoured soy sauce).
Marc Matsumoto says
I have to warn you that many Japanese people won't even touch it (it'srealllly slimy and stinky). That said, for me there's nothing betterthan a tub of whipped natto flavoured with some dashi soy sauce (it'sso sticky you can get a nice froth going) over a bowl of hot rice.Adding minced green onions cuts through some of the smell.
jessica says
Love the picture: your fish is flying. =)
SippitySup says
This preparation for black cod is a marvel. I remember the first time I did it was in awe of the complexity of flavors and textures. Leaving it to marinate overnight is essential, I have even let it sit for a few days which just adds to the luscious texture of the interior! GREG
Sophie says
Hello marc,What a superb looking fish dish!!MMMMMMMMMMMM,....lovely food!
jennythewoo says
Hi Marc. Any recommendations on a natto replacement? I was thinking potatoes cubed tiny.
Girl Japan says
I LOVE red miso, I like both really, LOVE the photography... I am having issues with lighting.. any tips?
merry jennifer says
I'm not as familiar with miso as I would like to be, but I did just purchase some red miso paste to use as a marinade. Would red miso paste work for this recipe or would it be too strong?
Leela says
I didn't know sable/butterfish is also called black cod. Learned something new today. Regardless, I can't get over how tender and, like you said, buttery its flesh is. This looks so simple to make, healthy, and delicious. I'm definitely making this.Natto optional? Never. 🙂
joannova says
Is this your birthday dinner? It's beautiful!
Claudia says
Here, it's usually called Butterfish, and what an excellent way of preparing it. Can you suggest some alternate for the natto? Maybe some grated pecorino?
lisaiscooking says
Black cod is such a lovely thing. I recently had the black cod at nobu for the first time, and I'm remembering the flavors and the crisp skin while looking at your photo. The marinade sounds great!
lo says
Black cod is, by far, my favorite fish. And I've been wild about miso glazes for seafood ever since I tried a recipe for miso-glazed salmon. Reminds me that it's about time we hauled out the grill again!
Tiny Urban Kitchen says
Love miso black cod - I think I've only had it once, at Nobu I believe. Definitely something I want to try at home. I've only tried natto once - we bought some in a supermarket while I was in Japan. *definitely* an acquired taste! I did not like it, and haven't tried it since (that was 12 years ago!) . . . maybe my palate has grown and it's worth trying again!
mlle noelle says
There is a Japanese market I sometimes go to, I'll have to check next time if they have natto, it's something I've been hearing a lot about lately. Any other suggestions for how to use it?
Carrie says
This is my favourite fish dish! Made this the other time and it was TO.DIE.FOR, am so glad you featured it!
chiara.u says
hi Marc!!! so nice to be here again... I've been busy for so long and now I appreciate a lot to read my favourite blogs again!!! this dish is WONDERFUL... of course!bye bye, chiara
Peter says
Quite often, fish and seafood need little adornment...just complement the flavour of the main ingredient (cod).
manggy says
For some reason, the name of this dish sounds really familiar - is it because it sounds like an instant classic? I'll try anything once, including natto, but I haven't seen it before. And I insist that it must be served as elegantly as this.Happy birthday Marc!
thedelishdish says
i appreciate how simple the marinade is & yet how much it brings to the dish. ive never heard of natto but now i'm curious...if i manage to find it i'd love to give it a try!