銀だらの西京焼き
(Gindara no Saikyo Yaki)

Black cod, otherwise known as sablefish, is a soft, mild fish with a high fat content and buttery texture [1]. A native of the depths of the North Pacific, black cod is fished predominantly in Japanese and North American Pacific waters [2]. Miso-marinated and grilled black cod is a popular dish which hails from Kyoto, one of the oldest cities in Japan [3]. The fish is flavored with a simple overnight marinade consisting of sake, mirin, and Saikyo miso, a type of sweet white miso local to the Kyoto Prefecture. It can be hard to source Saikyo miso, so in this home recipe we will be using a regular white miso mixed with some brown sugar.

Ingredients

1½ lb skin-on black cod
(sablefish) fillets
6 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup sake

Mix the sake, mirin, white miso, and sugar together to make the marinade. Don’t worry if the marinade isn’t completely smooth—lumps of miso here and there are not a problem! Cut the black cod fillets into portions, and place them in either a zipper plastic bag or sealable container. Pour the marinade over the fish, making sure that all the surfaces of the fish are covered in the marinade. Refrigerate and let the fish marinate for at least overnight, or up to two days.

To Cook

The marinated fish can either be broiled in the oven or seared on the pan. Broiling is the easier method, but pan-searing allows you to prepare the fish with crispy skin! Regardless of which method you choose, it’s important to wipe as much marinade off the fish before we start cooking. The marinade has already done its job, penetrating and flavoring the meat. Since this marinade’s high sugar content makes it liable to burn under high heat, get as much of it off as possible! I find that clean hands are the best tool for this job—use your fingers to wipe the marinade off each piece of fish.

If you are pan-searing, place a pan over high heat. When the pan comes up to temperature, add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, swirling to coat. Place the pieces of fish in the pan, skin side up, to sear the flesh side of the fish. Sear for 2-3 minutes without moving the fish. Then flip the fish skin side down and turn the heat down to low. The lower heat will give the skin time to cook all the way through without burning. Use a spatula to press the fish into the pan for about 30 seconds, ensuring that the skin comes into full contact with the surface of the pan. Let the fish cook on this side for about 5-8 minutes, or until the skin has become shatteringly crisp and the fish is medium to medium-rare (about 140 °F), or until the fish is done to your liking. Unlike many other white fish, it is very difficult to overcook black cod due to its high fat content.

If you are broiling, first turn on the broiler and let the oven preheat for 5 minutes. Place the fish pieces skin side down on a foil-lined baking tray. Place the tray on a middle rack of the oven and broil for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is done to your liking.

Whether pan-frying or broiling, let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Substitutions

This preparation works well with salmon or Chilean sea bass due to their high fat content (though the dish will taste significantly different when using these fish). However, regular (Atlantic or Pacific) cod does not work well as a substitute here, since it is much leaner and denser than sablefish. If you can source sweet Saikyo miso, use it instead of regular white miso, and omit the sugar (Saikyo miso is sufficiently sweet on its own).

[1] Until recently, fresh sablefish was not a common site in American grocery stores. However, smoked sablefish has long been a staple of Jewish-American delis.

[2] Sablefish is a deep sea fish, living near the seabed at depths of up to 2,700 m. Like many fish of the benthic zone, sablefish can live much longer than their pelagic cousins—up to 90 years.

[3] Kyoto was the seat of the Japanese imperial court from 794 until 1869, when the court was moved to Edo during the Meiji Restoration. The city of Edo was renamed Tokyo (東京), which translates to “Eastern Capital.” Kyoto was renamed Saikyo (西京), or “Western Capital.” One of these names stuck, and one did not! This brief renaming is why miso from the Kyoto region is still referred to as “Saikyo miso.”

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 20 min
(+1 day inactive) (1 day)

Difficulty: 2/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner or oven (broiler)

Equipment: pan or baking tray

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1½ lb skin-on black cod
(sablefish) fillets
6 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup sake

Instructions

1. Mix together the miso, sugar, mirin, and sake to form the marinade.

2. Cut the black cod fillets into portions, then place them in a sealable container or a plastic zipper bag. Pour over the marinade, ensuring that all of the surfaces of the fish are coated.

3. Let the fish marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

To Cook (Pan-seared)

1. Place a pan over high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the pan, swirling to uniformly coat it.

2. Wipe off as much of the marinade off of the fish as possible. When the pan is hot, place the fish in the pan, skin side up, and sear for 2-3 minutes.

3. Flip the fish skin side down, turn the heat down to low, and let cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the skin has crisped up and the fish is done to your liking (medium/medium-rare recommended). Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To Cook (Broiled)

1. Turn on the broiler and let the oven preheat for 5 minutes.

2. Wipe off as much of the marinade off of the fish as possible, then place the pieces skin-side down on a foil-lined baking tray.

3. Place the tray on the middle rack and broil for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes and is done to your liking (medium/medium-rare recommended). Rest for 5 minutes before serving.