Nobu’s Miso Black Cod Recipe
We love Miso Black Cod. Every time I go to a Japanese restaurant, this is the default dish that we order. While searching for a recipe online, Nobu’s recipe was clearly the most popular one. As always, I cross referenced this recipe with several others to see if there was a significant difference in terms of proportion of ingredients and method of preparation but it was pretty unanimous. All recipes required me to marinate this fish 2-3 days in advance to get the most flavour out of it.
Why is Nobu’s recipe so popular?
Nobu Matsuhisa is a Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur known for his fusion cuisine blending traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. His restaurants stretch across five continents, with over 40 locations across the globe and his signature dish is Miso Black Cod. He recently published this recipe in his cookbook.
Key Tools & Equipment Needed
Oven-Safe Non Stick Pan
Since this fish is marinated in a marinade that contains sugar, it carmelizes very well when cooked. The result is a crunchy and extremely flavourful skin – I can just eat this by itself! This recipe requires you to cook the fish in a pan that can easily transition from stove top to oven as that is critical to ensure the fish is fully cooked through.
Instant-Read Thermometer
When cooked to the perfectly, this fish is super tender and flaky. You will be able to easily flake the fish off with a fork. We highly recommend you invest in an instant read thermometer if you haven’t done so already so that you can check the internal temperature of the fish to determine if it is done. According to USDA guideline, the internal temperature of cooked fish should be 145F.
It’s easy to make yet looks extremely elegant and fancy
Ingredients needed to make Miso Black Cod
To make this Miso Black Cod recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Shiro (White) Miso
Miso is a traditional Japanese staple made from fermented soybeans, salt, and koji (a type of mold cultivated from rice, barley, or soybeans). Most people are familiar with Miso as the key ingredient in Miso soup which is often served at Japanese sushi restaurants.
There are many types of miso available on the market but Shiro (White) Miso is by far the most versatile. Since it has a shorter fermentation time, the flavour is more mild, less salty, and therefore more versatile to use in cooking.
We often find our miso paste in the refrigerated section at Asian grocery stores, usually close to where they sell Tofu. However, if you don’t have access to an Asian grocery store, you can always buy it online.
Mirin
Mirin is a type of sweetened cooking rice wine that is often used in Japanese cooking. It is similar to Sake (see below) except it has a lower alcohol content and is much sweeter. You can typically find them in the “cooking wine” section of Asian grocery stores. We typically get the brand from Kikkoman as they are a reputable Japanese brand.
Sake
Sake is a type of Japanese rice wine. While it is most often consumed alongside your Japanese meals (e.g. sushi), it can also be used in cooking. Any time of Sake you buy from your local liquor store will work just fine.
Black Cod Fillets
If you have access to a Japanese fish store that sells sushi grade fish, the type of fish you would be looking for is called “Gindara”. If you don’t have access to a Japanese fish store, check your local seafood market for Sablefish or Butterfish. It is high in Omega-3 fats and doesn’t have as strong of a “fishy” taste compared to Mackerel.
Sugar
This is pretty self explanatory. We used regular white granulated sugar for our recipe.
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If you enjoyed this recipe, you may like these ones as well:
Nobu's Miso Black Cod Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 4 tablespoons white miso paste
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound each
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1. Add sake and mirin to a small sauce pot and bring to a boil for for less than a minute to evaporate out the alcohol a bit.
- 2. Then, turn the heat down to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and whisk in your miso paste and sugar. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Take the marinade off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- 3. Meanwhile, wash the black cod fillets in cold water and dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- 4. Once the marinade is room temperature, pour it over the black cod and store in an airtight container. Let it marinade in the fridge for 2-3 days, rotating it daily to ensure the fish is evenly marinated.
- 5. On the day you wish to cook the fish, preheat the oven to 400F.
- 6. Wipe off excess marinade on the fish with your hands - otherwise it will burn easily as the marinade has a high sugar content. Then, add a bit of vegetable oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat and sear the fish (skin side up) for 2-3 minutes until the flesh is golden brown. Then, flip the fish to cook the skin for 2-3 minutes until it is crispy.
- 7. Finish the cooking process by baking the fish in the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F. You can also tell it's done when the fish is opaque in color and flakes easy.
