Black Cod with Miso

Name: Black Cod with Miso
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup white miso paste (or shiro miso); 3 tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine); 3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweetened rice wine); 1/3 cup granulated sugar (a bit less will work too if you are watching sugar intake); 6 pieces black cod or butterfish or sablefish (about 1.5 pounds)

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Black cod with miso, made famous by Nobu restaurant, is actually a classic Hawaiian dish as well. The fish, commonly called black cod, might also be labelled sablefish or butterfish. On a Japanese menu, it may called butterfish misoyaki. No matter what you call it, try it! You will not be disappointed.

You might also enjoy my Korean cucumber salad and sake steamed clams.

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Close up of black cod with miso on a white plate with Japanese pickled vegetables surrounding it.

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Why you'll crave this recipe!

This black cod with miso just melts in your mouth with an unexpected sweetness and tang that urges you to shuttle the next bite in as fast as you can get the fork (or chopsticks) to move.
It's easy to make - the most important ingredients (besides the food items) is patience! Let this marinate for at least 48 hours before you cook it.
Quick to cook - just bake and broil or even just broil and it's ready in minutes.
Side dishes? Grab prepared Japanese pickles at the market and a piece of shiso if you want to get fancy. Or just make a pot of rice and a fresh green vegetable and you have a fantastic meal!

Ingredients and substitutions

Ingredient shot for miso marinated cod showing fish, sake, sugar, mirin and miso.

Black cod: When you search for this fish, it may be labelled black cod, sablefish or even butterfish. Butterfish is not actually a type of fish, but rather a description of its taste and texture. However you may see this moniker when buying this fish!
Shiro miso: Miso is a fermented soybean paste used frequently in Japanese cooking. It adds an incredible umami richness and flavor to a recipe. Most commonly you may be familiar with miso soup when you visit a Japanese restaurant in the U.S. But it can be used in so many other dishes - even baking! For this recipe, look for white (shiro) miso - which is fermented for less time than red miso and is therefore less salty and more sweet. Read more about types of miso in this post.

Tub of white miso against a grey background.

Sake: Look for an inexpensive bottle of sake at your local Asian market - should be under $10 for a 750ml bottle. I keep one in my refrigerator always and use it for marinades all the time.
Mirin: This is a sweetened version of sake that I also keep in my pantry for marinades. Again - should be easily available at any Asian market.

Let's make miso butterfish step-by-step!

(Printable recipe card is at the end of the post with ingredients, measurements and step-by-step instructions. This section includes more and larger pictures and high level explanations of the process.)

For marinade: Heat sake and mirin on high heat to a boil for 20 seconds or so to remove the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso and use a whisk or wooden spoon to incorporate. Turn the heat back up and add the sugar stirring constantly until it all dissolves, then remove from heat and let it cool. The whole process will take only 2 – 3 minutes stove time, at most.

Mirin and sake boiling in a pot on the stove.

Whisking miso into mirin and sake mixture.

Pouring sugar into miso sake mirin mixture.

While the marinade cools, place your fish in the container that you will use for marination.

Once the marinade is cooled, slather the fish with the miso sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours.

Black cod marinated with the miso mixture in a glass pan.

To cook the fish, wipe off the marinade (if you don’t it will burn too quickly because of the sugars) and place on your baking pan. Two examples pictured below - on the right, I could have done a better job of wiping the marinade off but it all turned out fine in the end!

Black cod marinated with miso mixture and ready to broil.

Another example of the butterfish marinated and ready to broil on a foil-lined pan.

Broil the marinated cod until the surface browns - about 8 inches from the broiling element. Time it for 5 minutes and see how it looks. At the 8-inch distance, it will probably need a little more time. Your oven may be just a little different. Once you get that nice char, check the fish. If it's already flaking, it may be ready. If not, just turn the oven to bake at either 400 degrees conventional or 375 degrees convection for about 5 minutes. Of course, length of time will depend on the thickness of your fish.

Miso butterfish ready to eat but still on the broiling pan.

Another example of black cod with miso ready to eat but still sitting on the baking pan.

Beth's expert tips for making black cod with miso

Miso will last a long time in your refrigerator as will the sake and mirin. So grab all three ingredients when you have the opportunity and you will be ready to make this miso cod recipe whenever you find some fresh sablefish.
I have marinated this black cod for up to 72 hours - so don't panic if you can't make it on the night you planned!
The butterfish/black cod I usually find is pretty thin so don't walk far away when broiling/baking this. It will be ready pretty quickly. If you find thicker fillets, expect a slightly longer cooking time.

Cooked black cod on a white plate with Japanese pickles surrounding it.

FAQs about miso marinated cod

What can I substitute for sake if I don't have any?

Several options. Use more mirin but reduce the amount of sugar you add since mirin is already sweetened. Or use Chinese rice wine, dry sherry, dry white wine or dry vermouth.

What is the difference between cod and black cod?

Black cod is most accurately called sablefish. Regular cod is a different fish with a very different texture. Regular cod is more flaky than buttery. I once tried this recipe by mistake with regular cod and it just isn't the same. Black cod or sablefish is so buttery that it is often called butterfish. So you can get the proper fish for this recipe by asking for black cod, sablefish or butterfish!

What if I use a different type of miso?

I once used red miso and the problem is that it was extremely salty because it is fermented for a much longer time period. I have had the best results using shiro miso or white miso for this black cod recipe.

One piece of miso butterfish on a Japanese-style plate with sliced cucumbers and radishes plus red chopsticks and a bowl of rice on the side.

What to serve with miso butterfish

I have tried several approaches for side dishes with this delicious fish recipe. One option is to just buy some Japanese pickles at the market and make some rice and if you want, steam a fresh vegetable.

This simple braised broccolini would be a fantastic option to pair. You can also try these Korean style cucumbers and if you want, back off on the spicy gochugaru and just finish the pickled cucumbers with some furikake.

Korean cucumber salad in white bowl with red chopsticks

Broccolini on a white plate with a striped napkin underneath and w pieces of lemon on top.

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Black Cod with Miso

Beth Lee

Black cod with miso, made famous by Nobu restaurant, is actually a Hawaiian classic dish as well. The fish, commonly called black cod, might also be labelled sablefish or butterfish. No matter what you call it, try it! You will not be disappointed.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings servings

Calories 111 kcal

Ingredients

½ cup white miso paste or shiro miso
3 tablespoons sake Japanese rice wine
3 tablespoons mirin Japanese sweetened rice wine
⅓ cup granulated sugar a bit less will work too if you are watching sugar intake
6 pieces black cod or butterfish or sablefish about 1.5 pounds

Instructions

To prepare the marinade, heat the sake and mirin together on high heat to a boil for 20 seconds or so to remove the alcohol.
Then turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste, using a whisk or wooden spoon to incorporate.
Then turn the heat back up and add the sugar stirring constantly until it all dissolves, then remove from heat and let it cool. The whole process will take only 2 – 3 minutes stove time, at most.
Once cooled, put the fish in a pan and slather it with the cooled miso sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours.
To cook the fish, wipe off the marinade (if you don’t it will burn too quickly because of the sugars).
Place the fish on a foil-lined broiling pan. Broil it about 8 inches from the element until the surface browns (start checking at 5 minutes).
Once browned, check the fish for doneness. Stick a fork in and see if it easily pulls apart. It may already be done. If not, turn the oven to bake at either 400 degrees conventional or 375 degrees convection for about 5 minutes. Of course, the exact time will depend on the thickness of your fish. The butterfish I buy is usually thin. If you find thicker fish, it may take longer.

Notes

1. Miso will last a long time in your refrigerator as will the sake and mirin. So grab all three ingredients when you have the opportunity and you will be ready to make this miso cod recipe whenever you find some fresh fish sablefish.

1. I have marinated this black cod for up to 72 hours - so don't panic if you can't make it on the night you planned!

1. The butterfish/black cod I usually find is pretty thin so don't walk far away when broiling/baking this. It will be ready quickly. If you find thicker fillets, expect a slightly longer cooking time.