miso cod

Nobu's recipe for Miso Cod has been widely published and replicated in restaurants everywhere and it is easy to see why...it is absolutely wonderful. He calls for black cod in his recipe and that is not a fish that we get very often at any of our local fish markets, so when I do see it I buy it. It has a lovely silken texture and mild flavor. Nobu's recipe calls for marinating the fish for 24-48 hours but since I found it while shopping for dinner for that evening I knew I would not be able to follow the recipe exactly...still, I wanted that sweet miso flavor so decided to give it a whirl and hope for the best. When I got home I realized we did not have any sake so that was another strike against making the original recipe. Here is the very compromised version we did make and eat that night...it was still delicious! 

MISO COD

3 tablespoons white miso paste

1/4 cup mirin

2 tablespoons sugar

2 pounds black cod

Combine miso, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and whisk to combine over low heat, just until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool. Place marinade in a dish and coat fish with it. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook...I left mine for about an hour while I made the rest of our dinner.

Remove fish from marinade and place on a lightly oiled pan in a 425° oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flaky. If the marinade has not carmelized turn oven to broil and cook for another minute or two, watching carefully, until goden brown and caramelized. Serve immediately.

roasted cod provencal

Once tomatoes and basil are in season this is a wonderful way to serve simple roasted or grilled fish. I serve it often on weekends when we have a houseful of guests. If you prepare the tomatoes before you start cooking the fish the flavors have a little time to meld. Dice 3 tomatoes into 1/2 inch chunks. Chop basil leaves from 3 or 4 sprigs of basil and add to tomatoes. Remove pits from about 1/2 cup olives (nicoise or calamata are good choices), halve them, and add to tomatoes. Add 1 clove of garlic, minced, the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of sea salt and set aside. Drizzle olive oil on 3 pounds of cod or striped bass on a sheet pan and roast in a 450° oven for about 10 minutes, or until fish is flaky and cooked through. It can also be grilled -- if you choose to grill, buy fish with the skin on and cook skin side down, with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Spoon tomato mixture over fish and serve. 

crispy flounder

Flounder is one of my kids favorite fish and this preparation is so simple. I dip the fillets in a lightly beaten egg, then dip it in panko breadcrumbs that I season with some salt. I use a mixture of butter and olive oil in the skillet - the butter adds a lot of flavor and the olive oil prevents it from getting too brown. It only takes a few minutes on each side so prepare the side dishes before starting the fish. Here I served it with a white bean salad and roasted asparagus.