Why you’ll love this Nobu Black Cod!
What is Black Cod (Sable Fish)?
Black Cod, also known as sablefish, is a deep-sea fish found in the cold waters of the North Pacific Ocean, particularly off the coasts of British Columbia, Alaska, and Japan. It is very different than true cod, and isn’t actually cod; it is sable fish, a different kind of fish entirely! Sable fish has a buttery and rich texture and is full of Omega-3 fatty acids, while true cod is firm, flaky, and quite lean. As a chef, I love cooking black cod for large catering events because it is difficult to overcook because of its high fat content. It is easily grilled, baked, broiled, smoked, or famously marinated in miso, popularized by Nobu! It tastes mild and sweet, and is considered a sustainable fish when long-lined fished out of Alaska.
Black Cod Ingredients
- Black Cod Fillets – sometimes called sablefish- are a Japanese delicacy. Do not substitute cod or true cod or halibut, which are much less oily than buttery black cod. Chilean sea bass or or escolar filets would be an OK substitute.
- White Miso Paste – the subtle sweet flavor of white miso paste doesn’t compete with the delicate fish. In a pinch, yellow miso will work, but red or darker miso can overpower.
- Mirin – Japanese Sweet wine adds sweetness to the marinade.
- Sake- Also called Japanese wine, adds complexity to the flavor profile. In a pinch sub white wine or Chinese Cooking wine.
- Brown Sugar – adds sweetness to balance the savory miso paste, and helps the fish caramelize. You can substitute honey.
- Garnish: Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chives.
How to Cook Black Cod
2. Cook. Preheat the oven to 400° (or use the broiler, see notes). (See the recipe notes for skinless fish). Heat a little oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Gently brush off the marinade from the skin side of the fish. Place the fish, skin side down, in the skillet and sear until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Spoon a little marinade over the top of the fish, then place the fish in the oven to finish baking for 8-10 minutes, until flaky and golden.
3. Garnish. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chives.
Chef’s Tips for the Best Black Cod
- If your black cod has skin on it, make sure to crisp it up first. You can easily do this in an oiled skillet before placing it in the oven.
- Don’t skimp on the marination time. A full 24 hours will ensure the delicate marinade will penetrate the fish.
- Broil for the best color. If you have a broiler, use it. Crisp the skin, then place the skillet 6-8 inches from the boiler to caramelize. Watch it like a hawk. Once it’s the perfect color, lower the pan down to the middle or lower rack to cook through if needed.
Storing Black Cod
Leftover black cod will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with Seasoned Japanese Rice with Furikake or brown rice, and a veggie side dish like Simple Sautéed Greens, or Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce.
More Favorite Cod Recipes!
Miso Black Cod Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Marination time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 24 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: fish, main, seafood,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
Nobu’s miso black cod recipe, made with mirin, sake, white miso paste, and brown sugar. Adapted from Nobu’s Cookbook. Allow 24 hours of marination time for the best flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of black cod (1 - 1 1/4 lb)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/2 cup white miso paste
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- serve with toasted sesame seeds and chives.
Instructions
- Marinate. In a small saucepan, heat the sake and simmer 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. Whisk in the mirin and brown sugar until suger is dissolved. Whisk in the miso paste, whisking until completely smooth.
- Marinate. Transfer the marinade to a medium-sized baking dish and let cool (reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade in a separate small bowl if you want to make the miso aioli). Add the black cod fillets to the cooled marinade in a single layer and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Cook. Preheat the oven to 400° (or use the broiler, see notes). (*See notes for skinless fish). Heat a little oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Gently brush off the marinade from the skin side of the fish. Place the fish, skin side down, in the skillet and sear until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Spoon a little marinade over the top of the fish, then place the fish in the oven to finish baking for 8-10 minutes, until flaky and golden.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chives.
Notes
Tip: Broiling the fish can give it a nice deep color- but the marinade burns very quickly and easily. Leave 6-8 inches between the broiler and the fish, and watch it like a hawk! Once it has the perfect color, you can move it down lower to finish cooking in bake mode.
Skinless Fish: If your fish doesn’t have skin, you can place it straight in the oven to bake without searing it first.
Optional Miso Aioli: In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of marinade, two tablespoons of mayo, and ¼ teaspoon of rice wine vinegar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces black cod without sides
- Calories: 213
- Sugar: 15.9 g
- Sodium: 213.8 mg
- Fat: 1.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 22.6 g
- Cholesterol: 52.1 mg
The fish tastes absolutely incredible after 2 days. Could it be made less sweet though? I wonder if adding less sugar or baking without the marinade would be better here? Thank you!
You could leave some of the sugar out.
I usually make a quick saute of asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, dliced baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced leeks, water chestnuts with shaved garlic and ginger until tender but still crisp. I also add fresh grated ginger to the miso mixture. After marinating the fish, I reduce the marinade by half and brush the fish with it in the last few minutes of cooking. A delicious meal! And I always make extra, good at any temp.
Do you have a recipe for the side dish? It sounds delicious!
Love it!
This looks wonderful, but is the portion you plated enough to serve as a main course? Or should this be served as part of several dishes? Thank you!
Part of several dishes. 🙂
Question, what could you use in place of the sugar in the marinade? Stevia? Or would that make it taste weird? I’m really trying not to feed my gut sugar.
Hi Lisa, Stevia would make it taste weird. Could you use honey or maple? it needs the sweetness. 🙂
Nice!
Made this with Chilean sea bass and bok choy, tripling the recipe, for a dinner party with 9 guests last night. We did 8 courses, and this was definitely the crowd favorite! The marinade is absolutely incredible. We did 3-ounce filets with no skin, and decided not to heat the marinade to save some time (the alcohol cooked off later anyway). We used a little too much oil in the pan and had to pat off the filets before plating. Used a mix of baby and non-baby bok choy, to cut down the bitterness a bit, but that was probably unnecessary in hindsight. Basically copied the plating, but added a few dots of the aioli because it was so yummy. Thanks so much!
In one of the photos there is something drizzled across the dish, but not in the other photos. Is that just the miso aioli?
No, the Miso aioli is brushed on the plate. The drizzle was a soy “syrup” I was playing around with. 😉
Ah, thank you! The plating of this dish is STUNNING. I’ve never had black cod, but want to make it just for the pretty factor. 🙂
Sea bass would be an okay substitute (maybe?), but nothing close to black cod, which for me here in Toronto is a BIG splurge purchase once in awhile. Such an incredible dish! This looks amazing.
Sea bass would work too because it is an oiler fish. Yes, Black Cod is very expensive here too….definitely a special occasion type of dish. 🙂