Miso-Marinated Broiled Cod (Saikyo Yaki)

The dish Nobu made famous: cod soaked for a day or two in sweet miso, sake and mirin, then broiled until caramelized and flaky. With rice, a quick cucumber salad and edamame, it's an elegant dinner with almost no work. Plan ahead for the marinating.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb thick cod fillets, in 4 pieces
• ⅓ cup white miso
• 1½ cups short-grain rice
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

From your pantry: 3 tbsp sake or dry white wine, 3 tbsp mirin, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar for the salad, ½ tsp salt.

Instructions

1. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a small saucepan for 20 seconds, then whisk in the miso over low heat until smooth. Add 3 tbsp sugar, stir until dissolved and let it cool completely.
2. Pat the cod dry. Spread a little of the marinade in a snug container, lay the fish on top and coat it with the rest. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.
3. Toss the cucumber with the salt and let it sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out the liquid and toss with the vinegar, 2 tsp sugar and sesame seeds. Start the rice and cook the edamame as the package directs.
4. Heat the broiler with a rack about 6 inches from the heat and line a sheet pan with oiled foil. Wipe most of the marinade off the fish (don't rinse it) and lay it on the pan.
5. Broil until the top is deeply caramelized in spots and the fish flakes easily, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes if the fillets are thick. Serve with the rice, cucumber salad and edamame.

Tip: Black cod (sablefish) is the luxurious original. Salmon and Spanish mackerel are delicious in the same marinade. Watch the broiler closely, since the sugar in the miso burns quickly.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

Adapted from RecipeTin Japan.

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