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Nobu’s Miso Cod

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Miso Cod - delicious, moist, tender, and crazy delicious cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa. | rasamalaysia.com

Miso Cod - delicious, moist and tender black cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa | rasamalaysia.com

Miso Cod

Miso Cod – delicious, moist, tender, and crazy delicious cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa.

Miso Cod - delicious, moist and tender black cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa | rasamalaysia.com

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 really like sushi and sashimi all that much.

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.

Miso Cod - delicious, moist and tender black cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa | rasamalaysia.com

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 (check out my baked scallops recipe).

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Recipe: Black Cod with Miso (Miso-marinated Black Cod)

Miso Cod - delicious, moist, tender, and crazy delicious cod fish marinated with Japanese miso. This miso cod recipe is made famous by Nobu Matsuhisa.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 black cod fillets about 1 lb

For the marinate:

Instructions

  1. Mix the marinate ingredients thoroughly in a plastic container (with lid) and set aside. Save some for plating purposes.
  2. 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.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
  4. Preheat an indoor grill at the same time.
  5. 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.
  6. Transfer the fish fillets to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
  7. Add a few extra drops of the marinate on the plate and serve hot.

Recipe 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. I like my miso cod more intense with the flavors of sake and miso, and that being said, the marinate sauce might be too watery for plating purposes as one of my readers pointed out. Heat up the sauce to thicken it if you wish to use it for plating. Or if you like, you can reduce the amount of sake and mirin to slightly less than 1/4 cup each. Use 5 tablespoons miso if you prefer a deeper miso flavor.

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138 COMMENTS... read them below or add one

  3. I don’t have those Jap marinade sauces. :O …
    Impeccable presentation!
    But still, fish very small piece ler…

    Reply

  4. 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

    Reply

  6. 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. :-)

    Reply

  7. 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?

    Reply

  11. 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.

    Reply

  14. Hi RM, yur cod looks really-really good. Will have to save up some $$ to get them. They are pretty expensive over here!!!

    Reply

  15. Hey, saw you on Jen’s blog and decided to pay you a visit. Great pictures! Love your recipes. Will visit again soon, RM!

    Reply

  17. 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.

    Reply

  18. 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.

    Reply

  20. 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

    Reply

  22. 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! :)

    Reply

  24. 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

    Reply

  27. 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. ;)

    Reply

  28. 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.

    Reply

  29. 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!!!

    Reply

  31. 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!

    Reply

  32. 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 :-)

    Reply

  33. 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.

    Reply

  34. 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!

    Reply

  36. 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.

    Reply

  37. 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?

    Reply

  38. 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.

    Reply

  40. 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!

    Reply

  41. 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….

    Reply

  44. 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?

    Reply

  45. 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

    Reply

  48. 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?

    Reply

  50. If your sashimi is mushy, then it’s probably bad or old. Fresh sashimi doesn’t have a mushy or slimy quality. I really recommend trying more sashimi and sushi; the good stuff is incredibly delicious.

    Reply

  52. Hello. I’ve eaten twice at NOBU and have had the black cod with miso. I LOVE IT. If you could let me know if there are different flavors of mirin, could you please let me know which one is used in the NOBU recipe.

    Thanks.
    Tessa

    Reply

  53. Hello again. I forgot to ask about the Sake. I know Sake has different flavors. Could you please let me know which Sake to use to make this mouth-watering black cod?

    Thanks,
    Tessa

    Reply

  55. Hi Rasa, your pictures are beautiful. I was just wondering about the ratio of the miso paste vs the liquid in the marinade.. With half a cup of liquid and 4 tb of miso paste, my marinade was very liquidy. Did I do something wrong? It’s not solid enough for me to add drops when plating.

    Reply

  56. heyyyy just wondering when u say sake…do you mean cooking sake or normal sake?coz i tried the receipe once and it was a bit too sweet!thanks!

    Reply

  60. Hi, I love your blog, it has some great recipes. And i wanted to let you know that i tried this recipe and posted it on my blog today with a link to your recipe and blog. Hopefully you can stop by. Now my pictures are not as good as yours, but i am getting there. :) http://delishhh.com/?p=540

    Reply

  64. This was amazing! I used it as the base to recreate a favorite dish, and while it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, I’m glad to have found a new favorite. :)

    Reply

  65. This was sooooooooo….. delish! Just like at my favorite local Japanese restaurant.

    There is one downside however – my kitchen smelled very fishy the whole day – are there any tips on how to avoid this? The only thing I can think of is dumping the marinade in a trash bag outside immediately vs. pouring it down the kitchen drain.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Sawhster – I agree, fish smells after cooking and eating. There is really nothing much we can do other than opening the windows, let the air in, and yes, trashing everything ASAP. LOL.

      Reply

  66. Hi Rasa! did the Nobu cookbook have any suggestions about what to serve with this black cod? I am thinking about making it for a dinner party and was imagining maybe soba noodles in some sort of sauce, or something else interesting. What would you serve with it, for a main course?
    Thanks for the amazing posts! My mouth is watering just looking at your pictures!
    -Apple

    Reply

  67. I tried this last night and also added a bit of garlic and ginger. I grilled it lightly on both sides with an outdoor bbq grill and then I broiled it onto a greased pan at 400 F degrees for almost 4-5 mins each side. The color didn’t turn out golden brown like yours and some pieces flaked off. In the end I served it with plain white rice with some of the sauce. The flavor was amazing but the fish was dried and not as buttery as Nobu’s. I was slightly disappointed.
    Was it b/c I broiled it instead of baking it? How come it tasted dry?
    Thanks! Great photos you have!

    Reply

    • Hi Alice, I think you overcooked the fish, that’s why it’s dry. Black cod is a very oily fish. I think you should just bake it (wrap with foil if you want it to be moist) and then broil for 1-2 minutes on both sides the most.

      Reply

  68. Hi,
    Thank you so much for the recipe. I am a huge fan of this dish and can’t wait to taste it… before I do my shopping, please advise if I should buy the Mirin 8% alch or Mirin 0.9% (cooking).
    thx thx and thx again!

    Reply

  70. Thanks a lot for the recipe I have tried it and it was very nice but not so as they serve it in Nobu…and I love it how they make it in Nobu. Firstly, I could not grill it so nicely as you have done it in your pictures; somehow my grill dried the fish out and did not grill it nicely but more like burned it..(I have a built in electric grill into mu electric oven…could it be the problem?) and overall the whole fish felt very dry and not so juicy like yours; please advise if you know where I could improve.

    Reply

  71. Hi,

    I just came across your blog today for the first time.

    Great food articles and photos – I was blown away by them. I really like the attention to detail in your posts, and the wonderful colors and clarity of the photos of the dishes you write about.

    I have been to Malaysia and liked the country, people and food a lot. Plan to visit again.

    I’ll keep reading your blog.

    Thanks,
    Vasudev Ram

    Reply

    • Hi Vasudev – thanks so much for your sweet note. I am glad you have found Rasa Malaysia! Have you been to Penang, Malaysia? You have to go there as Penang has very good food. It’s my hometown. :)

      Reply

  73. Hi, I tried this recipe yesterday and the cod came out incredibly salty! I tried to follow it exactly as you wrote. Instead of grill, I pan seared it and instead of marinating overnight, I marinated for only 2 hours. I’m wondering if it’s the type of miso I used? I’m not sure what white miso is. The miso I got is a light yellow. Can that be the problem?

    Reply

    • Hi Jen, so sorry to hear that. Yes, it makes a difference the miso you use. White miso is less salty and actually sweeter and milder. It sounds like you get the regular miso used for miso soup. I would advise you to taste the marinade first because each brand of miso tastes differently, some saltier than the other. :(

      Reply

  74. Where do you purchase Black Cod? I’m in the northern CA area and none of the grocery stores around me seem to have this fish! I was on Crystal Cruise for 1 day (long story) and I was lucky enough to eat in the Nobu restaurant on the ship and had black cod. It was so delicious. And I keep reading that black cod has more omega 3’s than even salmon and since I do not like salmon, I’m excited to add it to my diet… problem is I can’t find it! Any help would be appreciated.

    Reply

  75. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it for dinner tonight, but used halibut instead of cod. I only marinated it for 6 hours and served it with some carrots and snowpeas sauteed with garlic, ginger and a dash of sesame oil. It was amazing!

    Reply

  76. I have made this a number of times with black cod or with Chilean Sea bass. It is excellent with any fish but especially with something that has some fat/oil within. Miso is very useful for a number of receipes so the fact that you usually have to buy a 1 lb container should not be a problem and it keeps for a long time as long as you wrap it up in a plastic bag. I make a fried long eggplant/green pepper with ground pork dish that uses mirin,sugar and miso as a final touch.

    Reply

  77. I think this is what the Japanese call Kasasuki Black Cod. Cod is marinated in sake lees (leftovers from the Sake wine-making process), looks like your version will get close to the same flavors. They sell the real Kasusaki marinade where I live but it’s expensive.

    Reply

  78. Hi there! I have been to Nobu and I absolutely adore this dish! Thank you so much for putting it up :) By the way, I can’t seem to find fresh black cod here in Australia, is it possible to replace it with murray cod? Thank you and I love your blog and all your recipes!!

    Reply

  81. Fantastic!! I am sure this is THE BEST recipe for Cod Fish. Simply delicious and the fragrance will make your saliva dripping. I tried this recipe 3 years ago through your website and I am still doing it. All ingredients are available in any supermarket or store selling Japanese foodstuff. Thank you RasaMalaysia for this incredible recipe.

    Reply

  83. Hi Rasa,

    I want you to know for the past 8 years I’ve been following many sites regarding recipes. By far you have the best site I’ve ever seen, your selections surpass anything I’ve seen in all these years. I hope anyone looking for the best in fine Asian foods has your great site.

    Reply

  87. Hi there, I tried your recipe and did not broil but pan seared it before baking. However there was a sourish taste. Is it suppose to taste slightly sourish? Thank you.

    Reply

  88. Awesome recipe!! Cooked it several times since having a similar dish at a restaurant. Making it again tonight :o) Love your site!!

    Reply

  89. Trying this recipe today! Do you use Sake from the liquor store, or use cooking Sake from the Japanese grocery store?

    Reply

  91. Dear Rasa,
    Thanks for sharing this recipe! Do you know if this recipe work just as well on black cod on-the-bone steaks vs black cod fillets?
    Where I live the fish steaks are cheaper than fillets.
    Thanks tons for your time :)

    55.0

    Reply

  93. I’ve been looking for this recipe for years! Thank you so much. Unfortunately I can’t use any wine in my cooking due to halal diet. Is there any way to make miso sans alcohol?

    Reply

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