Japanese White Miso–Marinated Black Cod (48-Hour Cure)
Black cod is cured for two days in a sweet, savory paste of white miso, mirin, sake and sugar. The fish turns silky and deeply flavored, then roasts and broils to a caramelized, lacquered finish.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 17 min
- Wait
- 2 days
- Total
- 2 days
- Makes
- 4 fillets (about 6 oz / 170 g each) and about 1 cup (300 g) marinade
Steps
Before you start
- Plan ahead: the fish cures for 48 hours (2 days) in the refrigerator, so start two days before you want to eat. A 36-hour cure also works but is milder.
- Buy skin-on or skinless black cod (sablefish) fillets about 1½ inches (4 cm) thick. Keep them cold until you use them.
- Use white (shiro) miso. Red or brown miso is saltier and will make the fish too salty and dark.
- Make the marinade completely cool before it touches the fish. Warm marinade starts to cook the surface.
Boil off the alcohol
- Pour the sake and mirin into a small saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and let it bubble for 2 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol taste.
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Ready when: Liquid bubbles steadily and the sharp alcohol smell mellows to a sweet aroma.
Tip: Keep the pan attended. Sake vapors can flare if they reach an open gas flame.
Dissolve sugar and miso
- Turn the heat to low.
- Whisk in the sugar for about 1 minute until fully dissolved.
- Remove from the heat, add the miso, and whisk until the mixture is a smooth, thick paste with no lumps, about 1 minute.
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Ready when: Marinade is smooth, glossy and has no visible sugar grains when you lift the whisk.
Tip: Add the miso off the heat. Boiling miso loses its delicate flavor.
Cool the marinade
- Scrape the marinade into the shallow dish and spread it out.
- Let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- Stir once halfway through.
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Ready when: The marinade feels neutral or cool, not warm, when touched.
Dry the fillets
- Pat the fillets thoroughly dry on all sides with paper towels.
- Check for pin bones by running a fingertip along the center line, and pull out any with clean tweezers.
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Ready when: Surface feels tacky, not wet.
Tip: Dry fish lets the marinade cling instead of sliding off.
Coat the fish
- Spread about one-third of the marinade in the bottom of the dish.
- Lay the fillets on top, leaving a little space between them.
- Use a spatula to spread the remaining marinade over the tops and sides in an even layer about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Press plastic wrap against the surface, then cover with the lid.
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Ready when: Every surface of each fillet is covered in marinade, with no bare spots.
Cure for 48 hours
- Refrigerate the covered dish for 48 hours.
- After 24 hours, flip the fillets and re-coat them with the marinade that has pooled in the dish.
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Ready when: Fillets look slightly translucent and feel firmer and more compact than raw fish.
Tip: Don't go past 72 hours. The fish turns too firm and salty.
Wipe and preheatOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Line the baking sheet with parchment.
- Lift each fillet from the dish and wipe off most of the marinade with your fingers or the back of a spoon, leaving only a thin film.
- Place the fillets skin-side down on the sheet, 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Discard the used marinade.
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Ready when: Only a thin, translucent layer of miso remains on each fillet.
Tip: Thick leftover marinade burns under the broiler because of its sugar. Never reuse it, since it has touched raw fish.
Roast the filletsOven 400°F / 205°C
- Roast the fillets at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes at the thickest part.
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Ready when: Thickest part reads 135°F (57°C) on an instant-read thermometer before broiling.
Broil to caramelizeOven 500°F / 260°C
- Switch the oven to broil on high (about 500°F / 260°C).
- Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, watching constantly, until the tops are deeply browned with darker spots.
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Ready when: Surface is lacquered, mahogany brown with dark spots, and the center reads 145°F (63°C).
Tip: Don't walk away. Sugar goes from caramelized to burnt in under 30 seconds.
Rest and serve
- Rest the fillets on the sheet for 5 minutes so the juices settle.
- Transfer to warm plates and scatter with scallion, if using.
- Serve with steamed rice and a simple vegetable such as blanched spinach.
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Ready when: Flesh flakes easily into large, moist, buttery flakes.
Good to know
Tips
- Wipe off the marinade before cooking. A thin film browns beautifully, while a thick layer scorches.
- Choose thick, center-cut fillets for even cooking. Thin tail pieces overcook, so cook them separately for less time.
- Black cod is very fatty and stays moist even at 145°F (63°C), so it is forgiving if you cook it a little longer.
- Use a glass or ceramic dish, not aluminum, which can react with miso.
Make ahead
"The marinade can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before using. You can also cure the fish up to 48 hours ahead and cook it straight from the refrigerator after 20 minutes at room temperature."
Storage & reheating
"Cooked fish keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat gently on a parchment-lined sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. Raw cured fillets, wiped of marinade and tightly wrapped, freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Do not keep it at room temperature for more than 2 hours."
Substitutions
- black cod (sablefish) fillets → Chilean sea bass, salmon or Atlantic cod fillets. Salmon and sea bass work well. Lean cod will be less rich, so check it a few minutes early.
- sake → dry sherry or additional mirin plus 1 tbsp water. Dry sherry is the closest in flavor. Skip the extra sugar if you use only mirin.
- mirin → 2 tbsp sake plus 1 tbsp sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Use only if you cannot find real hon-mirin.
- white miso paste → light yellow (shinshu) miso. It is a little saltier, so reduce the cure to 36 hours.