nobu matsuhisa’s black cod with miso

serves 6

this wonderful fish dish, which has been copied at restaurants all over the u.s. is easy to make but somewhat time-consuming—as nobu matsuhisa recommends marinating the fish fillets in the sake-miso marinade for 2 to 3 days. if you don’t have the time or are feeling a bit more spontaneous, you can also just let the fish marinate overnight in just enough sake and miso to coat it. 

3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sake
1/2 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup sugar
six 6-7 oz. skinless black cod fillets
vegetable oil
pickled ginger (gari), for serving

in a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil. whisk in the miso until dissolved. add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. add the fish and turn to coat. cover and refrigerate overnight (or better yet, for a few days).

preheat the oven to 400°. heat a grill pan or a cast iron skillet and oil it. scrape the marinade off the fish. add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky. transfer to plates and serve with pickled ginger.