I love Japanese food, but not every kind of Japanese food. For most people in the United States, Japanese food means sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, and tempura. While I enjoy teriyaki and tempura quite a bit, I don’t like sushi and sashimi…
I know, how can I not like sushi and sashimi? Well, for starters, I am painfully fussy, selective, and peculiar when it comes to eating. I love little edibles but I have yet to acquire the liking for sushi. And when it comes to eating raw, there are only two kinds of raw food I would eat: oysters and geoduck clams (raw fish is too mushy for my taste). Well, there you have it. I am impossible to please and am very inconsistent when it comes to food.
Other than sushi and sashimi, I can pretty much acknowledge that I adore Japanese cooking–the light yet invigorating flavors and the delicate presentations. Japanese food is so refined, elegant and beautiful, just like this baked miso-marinated black cod…
Made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa and one of Robert De Niro’s favorites, I fell in love with black cod with miso since the first time I had it. While this recipe is not too hard to make at home, ordering it at Japanese restaurants here in Southern California is quite expensive. So, I bought Nobu: The Cookbook and slowly but surely make all my favorite Japanese dishes (click here for my baked scallops recipe).
Adapted from Nobu: The Cookbook
Ingredients:
2-3 black cod fillets (about 1 lb)
For the marinate:
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons of white miso paste
3 tablespoons of sugar
Method:
- Mix the marinate ingredients thoroughly in a plastic container (with lid) and set aside. Save some for plating purposes.
- Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and put them into the plastic container with the marinate. Cover the lid and leave to steep in the refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
- Preheat an indoor grill at the same time.
- Lightly wipe off (with fingers) any excess miso marinate clinging to the fish fillets but don’t rinse it off. Place the fish on the grill and lightly grill on both sides until the surface turns brown.
- Transfer the fish fillets to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Add a few extra drops of the marinate on the plate and serve hot.
Cook’s notes:
- You can substitute black cod for see bass or salmon or any kinds of flaky fish fillets.
- There are many different kinds of miso (red, brown, white, and more). Make sure you get white miso.
- That adorable little bud is not edible! I got it from my garden.
Related Posts:
- Miso Ramen Recipe
- Steamed Asari (Manila) Clam Recipe
- Chawanmushi Recipe (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard/茶碗蒸し)
- Japanese Rolled Omelet (Tamagoyaki)
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Wah, this fish looks so good like what you get high-class restaurant.
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Amazing photography! I’m hungry now. What is the bud on top of the fish?
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I don’t have those Jap marinade sauces. :O …
Impeccable presentation!
But still, fish very small piece ler…
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This dish is so beautifully presented! I am sure it tastes delicate, too. :)
Rasam, thanks so much for this blog, I love Malaysian food. I will try your Nasi Lamak soon. :D
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I did something similar
http://chezannies.blogspot.com/2007/03/broiled-miso-seabass.html
but my pics aren’t as good as yours.
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Your miso marinated cod fish looks really, really good. I dare say, it looks better than the one they serve at Nobu.
Unlike you, I love sushi and sashimi, and raw food. I love raw broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes, (basically any salads). I also love my hamburger medium rare (ie. seared on the outside, raw in the inside). I had beef tartar for the first time in Zurich three years ago and loved it.
I think the reason I love raw food so much is because I don’t like cooking and I hate the smell of food in my (small) apartment.
I guess my diet was adapted to the NYC lifestyle. :-)
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Those are really gorgeous photos, I can just eat it off my screen. :D Is the sauce on the plate excess fish marinade that was cooked down or was it set aside before marinating the fish?
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I love making this dish too. I use a blend of red and white miso to give it some extra punch.
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Great photos, it looks so delicious. However, I’m a sushi lover.
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Your new camera really served you well…I love these shots. They look very yummy :)
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Anonymous - Thanks and yes, I followed the presentation on the cookbook and tried to create a restaurant serving.
Jaden - hehe, it’s a flower bud from my garden. ;)
Tiga - I had a few pieces mah…I wanted to get big pieces, but found only small pieces in the Japanese market. Japanese marinates and cooking wines are worth to have in your kitchen…really!
Anh - thanks so much for your sweet note. I look forward to your nasi lemak post. :)
Nate 2.0 - thanks for the link…they looked awesome…big, fat and juicy fish steak, not like my little black cod fillet.
Ming - yes, the smell of cooked food in the house is unpleasant sometimes, especially the after-smell. I always have to open my windows and blow the odor out after cooking, but it still lingers.
Amy - I made some more new marinate sauce to go with the fish. The one I used to marinate was discarded. ;)
CP - A blend of red and white miso…yeah, why not?
Gazard - Thanks. I eat sushi (like soft shell crab roll) but not the fish one.
The Expedited Writer - I think I need another macro lens to really serve me well. LOL. I am never satisfied.
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Wah! Such good photography!
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beautifully presented. :D
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Hi RM, yur cod looks really-really good. Will have to save up some $$ to get them. They are pretty expensive over here!!!
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Hey, saw you on Jen’s blog and decided to pay you a visit. Great pictures! Love your recipes. Will visit again soon, RM!
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wei, bila buka restoran ah?
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Hey! I went to Koi Palace for dimsum today. Not bad not bad! But hor… SUPER crowded until quite scary. I was there at 10:45am, my queue number was 80 and the number being called at that time was 53.
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Hey Rasa, thanks for dropping by.I love your blog too,fantastic pictures and great matter.Love the way this sole has caramelized around the corners.I’d love to try that out.Beautiful presentation.
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O_o what a fine dish!!!!!!! goodness…….. u can open one fine dining rest soon!!!!! :D
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WMW - Thanks…I have a new camera mah.
Budding Cook - Thank you. I just followed the cookbook, that’s it. :)
Tricia - Here in the US, 1lb is about $16. How much is it in AU?
For the Love of Food - hey, welcome. Do come by soon, I will be waiting for your new comments. :)
FBB - Probably not. I would love to get into food consulting, menu planning and creation. I think I will be good at that. Any takers? ;)
Simcooks - oooh, Koi Palace. I haven’t been there for ages, used to live like 3 minutes up hill from Koi. I think it offers the best dim sum in the whole US. I am not kidding. The line is impossible I know, but if you go during peak lunch hours, the wait is even more painful!
Kay - it’s not sole, it’s black cod, but I guess sole will work for this recipe too, well, at least not so oily. Thanks for popping in here. :)
Meiyen - as I told FBB. I would love to get into restaurant business consulting, menu planning and creation. As to opening a fine-dining restaurant, are you going to invest? :P
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*raises hands…I’d Invest!
All this after seeing live cod swimming..hahaha.
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so beautiful! and while reading your post, you mentioned What’s next,you ask?, the only answer i could think of is RM to open a fine dining restaurant! :)
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omg.. perfect!
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Hey RM,
Thanks for the kind words you posted on my blog. I’d never come across your blog before, but I should say that it’s amazing! You seem to have great knowledge of, and also marvelous enthusiasm for, Malaysian cuisine and everything that encompasses. Your photography is also quite incerdible. I’d also comment that the aesthetic aspects of your blog really create the feeling of welcome and comfort. Truly a great blog, I don’t know quite how you managed to slip through the net! I’ll be doing a cleanup of my blogroll soon, I’ll be sure to add you to it
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What an inspiring photograph!
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Gorgeous pictures. You’ve grilled the fish so well. It looks…hmmm…glossy! :-)
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Unka - OK, deal, just give me all your $$$ you are going to get come from your company and we can start a franchise. :)
SC - thanks. When I do have my fine dining restaurant, you will have to come eat every day and night. LOL. :P
Ee Chian - Thank you!
Trig - Awww, thanks, you are too sweet and nice. (Blushing with a big smile). :)
Susan - Hah, thanks to the cookbook. I pretty much “stole” the idea from it. :P
Lemongrass - I think it’s the oil from the fish…thus “glossy” looking. Hehe. ;)
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I have so much to learn from you Bee. I just read over the comments and many people said what I was planning on saying! But I’ll say this: I will totally be an investor in the Rasa Malaysia Restaurant, b/c with your cooking skills, my investment will guarantee a return of over 100%! And, if I am an investor, can I eat your food all the time, every day, every minute? No pressure.
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Hi RM,
I’m in Toronto, the prices should be about the same as U.S. … I think around $21 or so … working in the exchange rate!!!
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wow..looks real yummy! thanks for sharing the recipe..will definitely try it!
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Looks delicious! I agree that Japanese cooking is refined and elegant, maybe too much so, it intimidates me. But thia fish looks so yummy, so delicately savory… Love the picture. You really have a gift!
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Rasa M, you must be so proud of your camera and the cod fish!
i see you have taken every angle of it! haha…
waiting for your next post :-)
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Hi RM, I found your blog via Serious Eats. Your pictures are amazing! I’ve tried a similar recipe with salmon and miso, but your recipe looks so good. I’ll be sure to come back to your blog often.
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Based on the choice of menu items of most of my friends who like to frequent Japanese restaurants, I think this is easily one of the most popular dishes. The other is grilled salmon. Black cod is an excellent choice suitable on any day!
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:( me got no enough to invest.. but i can work for you and you cook for me to eat! :D
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Wow! absolutely gorgeous! see that you are making full use of your new camera! lovely snapshots. will be trying this recipe very soon and hope to post it for your review.
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The dish looks absolutely delicious! However, since the fish was marinated in the miso mixture, is there a salmonella concern when using the same mixture for plating?
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PE - haha, thanks for wanting to be my investor, but the problem is if I cook and we eat, we might finish up all food before our customers come. LOL!
Tricia - oh, good I think the black cod is worth the price. I like it very much.
Minami - Thank you and yes do try the recipe.
Renardgourmande - yes, this is minimalist refined. ;)
KP - yes, I love the camera and yes, I took the fish from every single angle. LOL.
Marvin - yes, please do come back more often. Yeah, this recipe will work well for salmon too, but I prefer black cod over salmon.
Bayi - correct, this is fast becoming a must-have dish in upscale Japanese restaurants.
Meiyen - OK good, got a pretty girl to work for me sure the business will be very good. Hehe. :)
Audrey - please do so and can’t wait for your post. :)
Alex - no I didn’t use the after-season mixture for plating…I saved some before I marinated the fish. So, no worries and no health concerns. Hehe.
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Great! That makes perfect sense. How did you get the drops perfectly circular like that?
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oh how could i have missed this!? drooooooooooool. the pictures a stunning, wow!
i love how you achieved the most perfect charred pieces. i bow to you!
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First time to your blog, came over from susan’s fat free vegan…I am totally engrossed in this site…your photos are master piece, how do u take those snaps? its really v v v cool….
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Great article! Thanks.
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Nice Blog!
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Thanks for interesting article.
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Thank You! Very interesting article. Do you can write anything else about it?
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This is awesome! I just made it. My kids love it.
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YzdVq6 The best blog you have!
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I’ve found your recipe similar to NOBU’s famous “Black Cod with Miso”… what a coincident???
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Thanks, this recipe is one of my wife’s favorites. I tried making this last week but I wasn’t able to get it looking the same.
How do you avoid overcooking the fish? When you grill it to get it blackened, doesn’t that end up cooking the fish through resulting in overcooking after 10 minutes in the oven?
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Sounds and looks delicious… I have never tried miso yet… I bought it once and wasted because I did not know how to use it…
Amazing blog, Margot
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What a great picture of black cod with miso. I dontv the book so i will follow your vlack cod with miso recipe instead. ;)
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Just love the texture of the fish!
lovely!
the fish just melt in my mouth!
love it!
a recipe that should be exploited!
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I have added this to my meal planning post for the week. Can’t wait to try it. Do you think there is any harm in marinating the fish for more than 24 hours? say I marinate it today (Wed) and cook it on Friday?
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i tried, i failed
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
You will succeed next time you try. Keep cooking :)
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