Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass

Once upon a time, Damien and I were the type of people who would show up at a restaurant like Nobu on a random Wednesday or Thursday night to splurge on a fabulous meal. During one such visit, I discovered Miso Glaze. Wanting to try something besides the wonderful sushi there, we asked the waiter for a suggestion. He highly recommended the Miso Glazed Black Cod. Not being the biggest cod fan, I wasn't so sure about it, but he REALLY loved it. So, we ordered it.

Well, it was just about the best thing I've ever eaten. And it turns out black cod is actually sablefish which is not really a part of the cod family at all -- although I have come to appreciate cod as well. But, that's beside the point.

Now life has changed and I don't get to make last minute decisions like that night not very long ago. Instead I make it myself for a romantic dinner at home or to impress friends. Turns out that if I plan a little ahead and can find the ingredients, it's freakin' easy to make.

Here's how I do it:

Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass

1/3 cup saki - or maybe a little more : )

1/3 cup mirin

1 cup miso paste

2/3 cup sugar

1 pound Chilean Sea Bass

The hardest part about this recipe is finding the ingredients. Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that I have been able to find at regular grocery stores. And sake can be found at most liquor stores. The miso paste can be a little more challenging if you live outside of large metropolitan areas. I buy it at Whole Foods, but when I lived in New York, they carried it at my local bodega and at Fresh Direct. It is often kept in the refrigerator section with other soy products, like tofu.

Once you've found all of your ingredients, it's quite simple. In a medium saucepan, bring the saki and mirin to a boil. Let it boil for 20 seconds to let the alcohol evaporate. Remove from heat and add the miso paste stirring it so that it will dissolve in the liquid. Put it over low heat if the mixture cools too much and the miso stops dissolving. Once it is smooth, put the pot back on the high heat and return it to a boil, stirring it constantly so it won't burn. Slowly add the sugar, stirring well and letting the sugar dissolve. The mixture will start to look a bit shiny, like a glaze. Remove from heat and let the glaze cool to room temperature.

This recipe makes enough miso glaze for about 1 pound of fish.

You can use this with all sorts of different fish but the black cod works particularly well as does regular cod. But, I found some frozen Chilean sea bass at Costco the other day, so I am going to make it with that. It has as similar texture and subtle flavor that's quite good for the glaze.

Pat the fish dry with some paper towels. Place the pieces in a one gallon size, ziplock freezer bag or some other non-reactive container that will fit in your fridge. When the miso glaze has cooled to room temperature, pour the the glaze over the fish in the bag. Make sure the pieces are fully coated. Zip up the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate. The longer the better. I'm talking two or three days. But, if you can only do one, well, that's okay. It'll still taste good.

When you are ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and heat up an oven proof pan on your stove top. I use the All-Clad pan I got for our wedding. Heat the pan over high heat until it is very hot. Remove the fish from the bag a let the excessive glaze drip off of it. Place the fish in the pan and sear it for a few minutes on one side only.

Once the fish is seared on one side, put the whole pan in the pre-heated oven. Cook the fish for 10 or 12 minutes.

I like to serve the fish over mashed potatoes with a side of steamed asparagus. Even better, make the mashed potatoes with a little bit of wasabi in them. Yummy.

This is definitely one of my favorite meals. It's totally worth the trip to Whole Foods for the miso paste. Just try not to get suckered into all the other delicious-looking but overpriced items there.

**NOTE: Miso Paste lasts, like, forever. Okay, so really about a year. But, since it is a pain to find this is good because you can buy a big container of it and keep in your fridge for those days when you are craving a little miso.