By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(3,308)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Most recipes for miso-glazed fish are for salmon, because fatty fish are well suited for this preparation and salmon is particularly delicious. Nobu Matsuhisa is known for his miso-marinated black cod, which he marinates for two to three days. I can’t imagine finding fish fresh enough to marinate for that long, so in my recipe I marinate the fish for a few hours before broiling and then finishing, if necessary, in the oven. The marinade is based on the Matsuhisa recipe, but I’ve reduced the sugar considerably.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ¼cup mirin
- ¼cup sake
- 3tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 1tablespoon sugar
- 2teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 4salmon, trout, Arctic char, mahi mahi or black cod fillets, about 6 ounces each
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
450 calories; 26 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 576 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Combine the mirin and sake in the smallest saucepan you have and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 20 seconds, taking care not to boil off much of the liquid, then turn the heat to low and stir in the miso and the sugar. Whisk over medium heat without letting the mixture boil until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sesame oil. Allow to cool. Transfer to a wide glass or stainless steel bowl or baking dish.
Step
2
Pat the fish fillets dry and brush or rub on both sides with the marinade, then place them in the baking dish and turn them over a few times in the marinade remaining in the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2 to 3 hours, or for up to a day.
Step
3
Light the broiler or prepare a grill. Line a sheet pan with foil and oil the foil. Tap each fillet against the sides of the bowl or dish so excess marinade will slide off. Place skin side up on the baking sheet if broiling.
Step
4
Place the fish skin side down on the grill, or skin side up under the broiler, about 6 inches from the heat. Broil or grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until the surface browns and blackens in spots. If necessary (this will depend on the thickness of the fillets) finish in a 400-degree oven, for about 5 minutes, until the fish is opaque and can be pulled apart easily with a fork.
Tips
- For a vegetarian version of this dish, substitute tofu, sliced about ⅔ inch thick, for the fish.
- Advance preparation: You can prepare the fish 12 hours before cooking.
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3,308
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Cooking Notes
Lisa
When I added the miso and sugar to the hot sake/mirin, it flamed up and emitted a giant fireball that almost burned my eyelashes off. Did anyone else's preparation catch on fire? I had just turned the mirin/sake to low heat, and maybe I should have let it cool off first? After I stopped screaming I finished the recipe as directed and it was totally delicious.
Gemma Seymour @gcvsa
One big problem cooking Japanese food in the US is one of the most important ingredients, mirin, is relatively hard to get. Most stores simply don't carry it. There's a company in California, Yaegaki, that makes real mirin in the US, as well as a decent everyday sake that is served as the house sake in every Japanese restaurant I've patronised on the West Coast. Don't use pre-salted mirin or sake when cooking Japanese food.
SheraM
Pacific cod
Vodka for sake
Grocery store mirin
Broiler
Used my Food Saver vacuum sealer marinating dish to shorten marinating time to 40 minutes. Very good.
Randy
Make sure to double the marinade, I didn't have enough to really coat the fish
Lisa
Broil on top rack in oven. I reheated the leftover marinade to spoon on top of the fish - delicious. I served over soba noodles and stir-fried sh*takes, red onion, ginger, garlic and bok choy. Really nice!
Nancy
This was delicious. I used reasonably thick cut trout fillets. One suggestion I would make is to use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil to cover the baking sheet. Parchment paper is compostable. It survived 6 minutes of broiling (3 minutes per side) and 4 minutes of baking at 400F. And you don't need to oil it. I'm trying to move away from using aluminum foil, which does save cleanup time. Parchment paper is equally effective.
Sam Bienstock
This was the most delicious salmon I have ever cooked! I used "dark" miso, though, and "normal" sweetened mirin but omitted the sugar. A touch of homemade chilli jam added a zing to the overall zestiness too. Thank you.
Ilya Kamens
A few commenters stated the fish was overcooked in the video. I've cooked it twice now. The first time, only the edges were charred; the second, it was just about as charred as in the video. Let me tell you, the more char the better.
Leslie
I used sherry because I had neither sake or mirin. I made it with salmon. Easy and stellar results. Great weeknight meal
JB
Vodka for saki.
1.5 lbs of salmon cut into serving size pieces, skin on. The mixture was sufficient for this amount of salmon.
Retained (and re-boiled) the marinade for extra sauce.
Broiled skin side down on tin foil, did not flip, thus I was able to scoop the fish from the tin foil and leave the skin and most of the dark fat on the tin foil.
Did not char the fish as much as shown in the picture (the fish in the picture is over-charred IMHO).
judyg
omit sugar. there is sugar in the mirin.
T W
If skinless fillets, place 3 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Fold under skinny end for uniform thickness
Passion for Peaches
I have made traditional Japanese miso-glazed fish for decades, but boiling off the alcohol on the sake does make a nice difference in results. As does preheating the oven (keeps glaze from burning, not being too long under broiler). My Japanese friends always told me that salmon was too nice a fish for this prep --in Japan it's usually used for more oily, cheaper fare -- but I think it works great on wild-caught fish. Serve with kinpira and Japanese rice. Excellent.
Bob
This turned out fantastic. I used brown miso paste, vodka thanks to everyone's comments (didn't want to buy sake), brown sugar and mirin and marinated for 24 hours. My oven has the heating element on top, so I put the fillets skin side down and broiled for about 7-8 minutes. Fish was perfectly cooked and a bit crispy. The taste is much more subtle than I was expecting, and not as sweet - I may even up the sugar next time. Will definitely try it with other fish!
Larry
I know this note I'm responding to is from two years ago, but I had the same thing happen tonight, except it was while I had the heat set on medium high before adding the sake and mirin. Quite the entertaining spectacle, since no one was hurt.
how to do this
Top rackPut pan perpendicular to the tray
Jane
I have made this twice with sablefish. The fish ends up perfectly cooked with a lovely, buttery texture. No problem with the sauce catching fire, but I did take the pan right off the burner before adding miso and sugar. Agree with other commenters that vodka works well if you don’t have sake on hand
Landen
Great recipe, I chopped fresh ginger and added while marinating and also included while broiling and I think it really added to the dish in a positive way
Marian
Delicious and so easy. I did with rock cod and the texture of the fish was perfect. Side dish of cauliflower rice with Thai sauce.
Michael
good flavor but would prefer a crispier cooking method
D.
Try vodka, brown sugar, mirin and miso.
mc
Use vodka if I don’t have sake
Mary W.
Great method to blend cold miso quickly. I put the mirin and sake into a large glass Pyrex measuring cup, gave it a quick zap in the microwave to bring it to a boil and then added the miso, blending it with a whisk until the mixture was smooth. I waited a few minutes and then put it into the freezer to bring the temperature down, about 20 minutes. I then proceeded with the recipe.
Mary W.
I also omitted using sugar.
Marion Beram
This was one of the best meals I've ever had, in or out. Only thing I changed was that I added about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar rather than a full tablespoon. I cooked the remaining marinade separately and poured it on the salmon when it was done. I also baked the fish on a very high temp (475 degrees) in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Served with soba and stir fried sh*take, bok choy, red onion, ginger, garlic, soy and mirin, as was suggested by another cook on this feed.
Charley
Made as written with my usual substitutes honey for mirin and white wine for sake (not readily available here). Cooked on my flattop. Come out great. Sweet-sour flavor.
Joody
I made the marinade as written and marinated 2 chunks of skinless sea bass overnight in a ziplock. towel dried and pan-seared in the cast iron until done. nuked the leftover marinade for serving. served with some leftover braised red cabbage. chef's kiss.
WBW
Buy a big bottle of cheap sake and use it whenever a recipe calls for white wine. You don't have to refrigerate it, and it doesn't go bad. The flavor profile will change over time, but it will still be fine for cooking purposes.
jen
Be sure to double the marinade - use half to marinate fish and set aside the rest. Before serving, heat up reserved marinade and add a bit of butter.
Caroline
Before re-boiling the marinade to use as a sauce I add some water so 1) I can get a hard boil on it 2) without the sauce burning. It also attenuates the saltiness.
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