The ten-Minute, Restaurant-Worthy Dinner I Make A number of Instances a Month

A few years in the past, when my husband and I visited my dad and mom in Hong Kong, we had lunch at a nondescript Japanese restaurant positioned within the basement of a mall. My husband was skeptical, however I had eaten there earlier than and knew the meals was good. We have been there for one factor and one factor solely: the miso black cod. Marinated in a salty-sweet combination of white miso, sake, mirin, and soy sauce, the broiled fish arrived glistening and tender, its flesh flaking away simply with the gentlest prod of our chopsticks. Every chunk was deeply savory, with nuttiness from the miso and a floral sweetness from the sake and mirin.

Once I got here again to New York, I attempted to recreate the dish and located quite a few iterations of it on the web. I wasn’t stunned: Miso black cod exploded in reputation after the Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa served it at his Tribeca restaurant within the Nineties. “The soy-slicked fish was a must-order, known as out even within the restaurant’s earliest evaluations,” the author Hugh Merwin famous in New York Journal in 2014. “A sort of fame ensued, and as we speak, black cod with miso is actually shorthand for the Nobu empire itself.”

Though Matsuhisa didn’t invent the dish—he tells Merwin that his preparation is a riff on a Japanese custom of curing fish in sake lees—he popularized it amongst each restaurant aficionados and residential cooks. Fortunately, the dish is deceptively straightforward to make. So easy, in actual fact, that my husband and I make it commonly: All you must do is whisk collectively a marinade of pink or white miso paste, sake, mirin, soy sauce, oil, and sugar, then marinate the fish. You’ll be able to marinate the fish for as little as half-hour or so long as two days, making it a terrific make-ahead weeknight meal or ceremonial dinner primary.

A observe on the fish: Regardless of its identify, black cod is not true cod, however a special species totally—extra precisely often known as sablefish. Its flesh is tender and buttery, in contrast to the lean, agency texture of Atlantic or Pacific cod. That richness is vital to this recipe’s success. When you can attempt different fish, it is best with one thing fatty, like black cod—or, extra accessibly, salmon.

Former Critical Eats editor Kenji’s miso black cod recipe, which he revealed on the location in 2013, is the model I have been making for so long as I can bear in mind. Kenji recommends broiling the fish, but when you do not have a broiler or do not feel like preheating the oven, you are able to do as I do and crank the warmth on the air fryer. In case you go for the air fryer route, maintain a detailed eye on the fish: It sometimes takes about eight minutes for the fish to complete cooking, however the timing will rely upon the scale of your fillets. Served with rice and a few sautéed greens, it makes for a easy and satisfying meal—and one which tastes restaurant-worthy.