This melt-in-your-mouth Miso Black Cod is hands down one of my favorite black cod recipes. Adapted from Nobu, it is made with the most delicious miso marinade ever! (Allow 24 hours of marination time for the best flavor.)
The first time I experienced Nobu’s melt-in-your-mouth, miso black cod was at his restaurant in Miami. Caramelized to perfection with a subtle sweetness and umami depth, it was instantly one of my all-time favorite black cod recipes. I immediately bought his cookbook and recreated it at home and in my catering business.
Why you’ll love this Nobu Black Cod!
The secret to this mouth-watering recipe is the type of fish. Black cod, sometimes called sablefish, marries perfectly with the marinade of white miso paste, mirin, and sake- and because of its high fat content, it is difficult to overcook or dry out.
As a chef, I love cooking black cod for large catering events because it is hard to overcook due to its high fat content. It is easily grilled, baked, broiled, smoked, or famously marinated in miso, popularized by Nobu! I simplified the original recipe a bit for the home cook and am so excited for you to try this!
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. 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
1. Make the marinade: In a small saucepan, simmer the sake for 60 seconds to allow the alcohol to cook off. Stir in the sugar and mirin until fully dissolved. Whisk in the miso paste, whisking until smooth.
2. Marinate. Pour the marinade into a medium baking dish and let it cool. Pat the fish dry, check for pin bones, and add the marinade in a single layer, turning to coat both sides. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for ideally at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days, if time allows.
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 pat dry or 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. Broiling truly elevates this dish!
Tip: Heat up the remaining marinade in a little saucepan if you like, and baste the baking fish with it!
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. 3-4 days is even better!
- 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.
- Black Cod is fully cooked at an internal temperature of 130-135°F.
Storing Miso 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, bok choy salad or this Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce.
More Delicious Cod Recipes
After you try this recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Miso Black Cod Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: fish, main, seafood, black cod recipes
- 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
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/3 cup white miso paste
- 3–4 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- serve with toasted sesame seeds and chives.
Instructions
- Make the Marinade. 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 a baking dish, pour the marinade over top, 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 salted oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Gently brush off any 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, season with salt, 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, whisk together 2 tablespoons of marinade, 2 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
this recipe was absolutely delicious.
Trite to say but absolutely true.
Thanks for giving it a try Elizabeth!
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!
Yes, for sure, 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!
I added some serving ideas to the recipe post.
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!
We updated the recipe – yes, it is big enough for a main course.
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, but you can brush most of the marinade off before you cook it. 🙂
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!
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. 🙂