Miso Black Cod

Tonight I got about 1 lb of black cod at the fish store near my work. This fish is not actually a type of cod - it's called sable fish, and there's a very interesting NYT article about it here:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9D04E1DC153AF935A25756C0A9679C8B63

Sable has been for sale in New York at Jewish Delis for years as a cheap, smoked fish...but it more recently became trendy after Nobu in NYC put this recipe on the map.

What I made tonight is based on the Nobu recipe, which is similar to this:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Cod-with-Miso-105872

But I just used ingredients that I had in my house:


1 lb sablefish (black cod) fillet, cut in three pieces (with skin)
miso paste (about 1/2 cup)
white wine (about 1/2 cup)
sherry (about 1/4 cup)
dash of soy sauce
sugar (about 3 T)
dash of salt
fresh ginger chopped (about 2 T)


In a pot, mix all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Allow the miso and sugar to dissolve into the rest of the liquid. Let cool, then put the marinade in a tupperware of plastic bag with the fish so it's totally covered. Marinate ideally for a day or overnight - I just did it for 2 hrs since I was in a rush, and it was fine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a cast iron pan on the stove, add some oil (I used grapeseed). Once the oil is hot, take out the fish, let most of the liquid drip off, then put into the pan face up (skin touching the pan). It will sizzle a lot. Allow the fish to cook for about 2 minutes, then flip it with a spatula. Allow the fish to sear on the other side for another 2 minutes, then flip it back over again. The fish should be browned on top. Take the cast iron pan and put everything in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the fish is tender. You can check doneness of the dish by sticking a knife in it - if it can sink through easily, the fish is done. It will be white and flaky.

Meanwhile, take the leftover marinade and heat it up in a pot until it simmers. The bad fish juices will boil away, and there will be a nice (but very salty) sauce.

Once the fish is done, remove it from the cast iron pan, and serve on a plate. Drizzle a bit of the sauce over the top of the fish.

I served this with coconut rice and some thai-style vegetables, although I thought these flavors overpowered the fish a bit. It'd be better served with more mild sides, like simple garlic-stir-fried vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!