This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Marinated in saikyo miso and baked to perfection, Black Cod with Miso is a beautiful seafood dish you can pull off at home. With its delicate and buttery texture, the Miso Cod simply melts in your mouth.
A classic Japanese dish, Black Cod with Miso (or simply Miso Cod 銀だらの西京焼き), is served at many formal Japanese restaurants. These days you may have heard of the dish after it’s made famous worldwide by the acclaimed fine Japanese restaurant chain Nobu. Luckily, the miso-glazed black cod recipe is simple enough that you can enjoy this wonderfully seasoned fish at home.
Watch How to Make Miso Cod
Marinated in saikyo miso and baked to perfection, Black Cod with Miso is a beautiful seafood dish you can pull off at home.
Choose the Right Miso for Miso Cod
To enjoy the succulent texture, we prepare the fish by marinating it in sweet miso for at least 2-3 days until the sweet & salty flavor is completely absorbed before it is cooked. Traditionally the fish fillet is soaked in the marinade for even up to 5-7 days. In Japan, we refer this marinade as Saikyozuke (西京漬け), and once it’s grilled, it’s Saikyo Yaki (西京焼き).
Saikyo in Japanese means “west city”, which is the former name for Kyoto. This specific cooking method is named Saikyo because the recipe utilizes Saikyo Miso (sweet white miso) originated from the Kyoto area. The traditional Saikyo Yaki recipes include just three ingredients: Saikyo miso, mirin, and sake.
The sharpness of the miso and sweetness of the mirin work wonderfully to cut the fish’s fattiness. When it’s baked to perfection, the deep flavor of the marinade comes through and the buttery flesh simply melts in your mouth. It’s so good that my young children can easily finish one fillet of the fish on their own.
Substitute for Saikyo Miso
Miso may be still a relatively new ingredient for many of you. You can purchase Saikyo Miso on Amazon or local Japanese/Asian grocery stores. If you are not able to find Saikyo Miso at your local Asian grocery stores, the best miso to substitute is white miso and add sugar to sweeten the miso.
If you want to learn more about different types of miso, click here.
Other Fish Choices besides “Black Cod”
Despite Nobu’s popular menu “Black Cod with Miso”, the fish used in this recipe is actually not related to a cod at all. “Black cod” is a common name for sablefish (Gindara 銀ダラ) or butterfish. It’s known for its silky and tender rich texture and flavor. High in omega-3 fats, it is the preferred fish choice since it doesn’t have the strong taste of fatty fish like tuna or mackerel. The creamy white flesh pairs extremely well with miso paste that is sweet, savory and salty.
If you couldn’t find sablefish, you can also use other fish to enjoy with the versatile miso marinade. I like alternating between black cod, sea bass, or salmon and my family enjoy them equally. If you go to a Japanese supermarket, you should be able to find black cod in the fresh fish section.
In the US, you can also find sustainable caught Alaskan black cod from online seafood companies. It’s rather pricey but it is still a much better deal to enjoy the fish at home than ordering at a fancy restaurant. With some simple advanced preparation, this Black Cod with Miso recipe is so easy to pull off and the results are irresistible.
If you are looking for a classic Japanese recipe for serving dinner guests, this Miso Cod will make a pretty impressive main dish. Prep it ahead, bake in the oven, and dinner is ready. Easy but no lack of elegance.
Baking vs. Broiling Fish
Although I use a broiler in my oven to cook different types of fish often (including Miso Cod), I recommend baking this miso cod especially if you have never broiled the fish before. Miso burns really easily. You can’t avoid burning miso completely; however, you can minimize the burns by removing the marinade and baking this fish.
Here I summarized the difference in broiling and baking fish, and which type of fish is suitable for broiling or baking for your future reference.
Broiling:
When you broil fish, the infrared energy from the heating element cooks the fish that’s placed closer to the broiler at the top of your oven. Broiling is a much faster cooking method and fish will brown beautifully, but it burns miso, fresh herbs, and many other garnishes and requires constant attention.
When broiling, you don’t control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It’s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill.
Baking:
When you bake fish, hot air cooks the fish. The heat is carried through your oven by slow-moving natural currents of hot air, which is why baking takes a relatively long time to cook. But it can be relaxing as you do not need to constantly pay attention.
Choose Baking or Broiling Based on A Type of Fish
- Fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, and swordfish) can be baked or broiled at higher temperatures, ranging from 425ºF (baked) to 550ºF or 550ºF (broiler).
- Moderately lean fish (such as cod and haddock) should be brushed with oil and broiled.
- Whole fish, large fillets, or lean and fragile fish (such as sole) should be baked at temperatures 425ºF to preserve their moisture and delicate texture and avoid broiling because it’ll be overcooked too fast.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Marinated in saikyo miso and baked to perfection, Black Cod with Miso is a beautiful seafood dish you can pull off at home. With its delicate and buttery texture, the Miso Cod simply melts in your mouth.
- 4 fillets sablefish (gindara) (you can also use salmon and sea bass; roughly 1 inch thickness)
- 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- 2 Tbsp sake (For cleaning and removing unwanted odor of the fish.)
- 6 Tbsp white miso (You "can" use other types of miso than white miso, but it will be saltier, so please adjust the flavor by balancing out the mirin or/and sugar)
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 3 Tbsp sake (Sometimes we can replace sake with water; however, this recipe requires longer marination and water is not a suitable substitution)
- 1 Tbsp sugar (Add sugar only when you do not use saikyo miso)
-
Gather all the ingredients. As you will be marinating this fish for a few days, select the freshest fish possible.
-
Sprinkle salt over the fish and set aside for 30 minutes. Salt will draw excess moisture and any fishy smell from the fish.
-
In a bowl, add saikyo miso, mirin, and sake (and sugar, if you are using regular white miso).
-
Mix all together and pour the marinade into a flat bottom airtight container.
-
Pour 2 Tbsp sake over the fish to rinse off the salt. Gently pat dry with a paper towel to remove the moisture. Do not wash the fish under running water.
-
Place the fish in the container and coat both sides of the fish with the marinade.
-
Slather the fillets with the marinade. Cover the lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If you prefer less salty (and don't eat this dish with rice, for example), you can cut down to 1 day (or even several hours). It depends on your preference.
-
With your fingers, remove the marinade off the fish completely. Do not leave excess miso on the fish; otherwise, the fish will burn easily. At this point, you can individually wrap the fish with plastic and store in the freezer bag for up to 2-3 weeks.
-
Place the fish skin side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone mat (for baking) or foil (for broiling).
-
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with a rack placed in the center of the oven. For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Bake the fish on parchment paper until the surface is blistered and brown a bit, about 15-20 minutes. You do not need to flip the fish.
-
Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 6" (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don't control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It's similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. *Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use medium (6" away) or high (8" away).
-
Broil medium (500ºF) for 8-10 minutes until the surface is blistered and brown a bit. Please remember the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish and the distance between the broiler and the food. You do not need to flip the fish.
-
Carefully remove the fish with a spatula, and remove any burnt miso around the fish. Serve immediately. I serve the fish with thinly sliced red radish and a small green leaf from my backyard for additional color.
-
You can keep the leftover (cooked) in an airtight container for up to a month.
Recipe Video
- Sake: Sake is used to clean and remove the unwanted odor of the fish. You can't replace it with water even though sometimes water is used as a replacement in some recipes. We will marinate the fish for a longer time, and water can go bad and ruin the marinade and fish.
- Mirin: Typically mirin can be replaced with water and sugar, but for this recipe, please do not use water. Use sugar only. For 1 Tbsp mirin, use 1 tsp sugar.
Editor’s Note: The post is originally published on Sep 21, 2011. The photos and content were updated in November 2013 and July 2017. The video and new step by step pictures were added in August 2018.
Hi Nami, I made this over the weekend and it was sooo delicious! It definitely doesn’t need the added sugar that other recipes have. Thanks!
Hi Janice! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. My family and I love this dish. So happy it turned out well! 🙂
I made this for a dinner a few days ago, it was soooooo good! 🙂 love your blog! 🙂
Hi Rach! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I’m so happy to hear you liked it! 🙂 Thanks for following my blog!
If we do not have access to Sake what do you suggest as a substitute?
Hi Jay! I would suggest dry sherry or Chinese rice wine as substitute. Read more about sake here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/sake/
Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi Nami! Can I use regular miso instead of white miso and sweet white wine instead of sake/mirin? Or will this transform the taste entirely? Thank you!
Hi Soko! What is “regular” miso for you? Are you using red miso? White miso or at least Awase miso (a combination of red and white) is ideal for this dish. Red miso could be a little too strong/salty. However, if you like red miso and used to eating it all the time, it may not bother you much. Um… sweet white wine may not work. My recommendation is to use dry white wine (dry sherry) and sugar to replace sake + mirin. Again, with red miso, you may need to adjust the sweetness as it’s much saltier than white or awase miso. Hope this helps. 🙂
I am lazy so I skipped the step of coating with salt. But it tastes great anyway. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Ju! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Dear Nami,
I took your advice, trying miso cod recipe 🙂
As cod is not available in my country, I’m using gindara.
It’s now marinating in my fridge, I really hope it will come out as delicious as your other recipes.
One question, I’m using gas oven, do I need to turn on the broil? Or just fire from below part is enough?
Thanks in advance. Will let you know the result 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Jayne! Gindara is great! If you have a toaster oven, that works great too (which I use it all the time). If the fish is cooked but doesn’t have a nice char on the surface, you can use broil to brown a little bit on the top (so that it looks delicious and tastes better). Otherwise, you should use your oven as you normally use to cook fish/meat. Hope this helps and you enjoy this dish! 🙂
I hardly find white miso here.., but i have korean doenjang (korean soybean paste) in hand. Can i subtitute the white miso with doenjang? Thx.
Hi Melss! Unfortunately, Korean doenjang doesn’t work for this recipe as miso plays an important role in flavoring, and the basic flavor of miso is completely different. Ideally this recipe requires Saikyo Miso, but white miso is an already the best substitute for this recipe. Hope you can find white miso online. I’m not sure where you live, but these days American stores like Whole Foods also carry a variety of miso, including white miso. You can find white miso on Amazon as well. Good luck! 🙂
Hello, this seems to be a wonderful recipe. I have yet to try this. I was wondering if it would be alright to substitute the 3 tablespoons of saikyo/white miso with 1 tablespoon red miso? Other recipes make use of 2 tablespoons yellow miso. I am aware that red miso has a strong flavor. All I have at home at the moment is red miso.
Thank you. 😀
Hi Hana! If you don’t consider it’s “saikyo yaki”, and it’s miso-marinated fish, red miso is okay especially if that’s your favorite type of miso. However, it’s salty, so do not let the fish marinated for a long period of time. Let me know if you recommend not to use red miso. Personally, I haven’t tried this dish with aka miso and I won’t be able to tell 100% sure if it’ll work… 🙂
Thank you so much. I have been obsessed with this dish in restaurants and could never replicate it at home. Many thanks! I really appreciate your website.
Hi Olivia! I hope you will like this dish! It’s very easy to make at home and now you can enjoy it at home! 🙂
Just made this recipe. Marinated the fish for two days and served along side the broccoli gommae. The fish was AMAZING. My husband loved it. It tasted exactly like the cod they serve at the fancy japanese izakaya in our city (only much cheaper!!).
Hi Olivia! Awesome! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m really happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this dish. Right, it’s cheaper and you can control the flavor (plus quality of fish!). 🙂 Thank you again! xo
Hi Nami,
Thanks for sharing your recipes! I have tried several of yours and they all turned out great!
One question regarding this recipe – how long can the fish be stored in the refrigerator from the time we started marinating? You noted there marinate for 2-3 days (at least overnight; traditionally 1 week).
I bought whole fish, cut it to pieces and marinated it, and planning to cook and eat the fish over several days. Just want to make sure they do not go bad before I finish them.
Hi Audrey! Thank you for trying my recipes! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed them. 🙂
Traditionally, people keep it for a week in the fridge. Depends on the salt level of miso, I think it can become salty toward as marinating time goes on. Since you’ll be cooking it over several days, you can probably figure out how many days of marinating is the best result (with the particular miso you’re using – each one can be different). Just make sure – when you take out the fish from the container, your hands are washed and dried (no water goes in). You don’t want to contaminate. Make sure it’s air-tight and keep in the fridge all the time. No temp difference (like keep on the counter for a long time and put back in fridge etc). With the proper care, it should be okay! 🙂
thanks for your help! i used white miso and scraped all of the marinade off before baking. however, i was thinking that maybe it was the thickness of the fillets I used. they weren’t super-thin, but they were thinner than the fillets shown in your photographs. next time i will also try saikyo miso instead of regular white miso; white is just what I keep in my fridge. thanks for your help, i love your website, nami.
Can i just marinate the fish for 6-8 hours?
Hi Patricia! Sure! 🙂
Hi! I just discovered your website and it’s amazing! I had a question about this recipe vs the miso salmon. Why is this one baked and the salmon one broiled, does it matter which you do?
Hi Aprille! Thank you for finding my site! You can use broil for this recipe but you have to be very careful not to burn. It’s thinner and has miso coating, so it gets burnt easily.
Salmon is known for having natural oil/fat. It provides a protection against overcooking under the intense heat of the broiler, and the fish will brown beautifully. Cod is not so much. So it’s easier if you bake but higher temperature (as it’s thin), and cook less time (so it won’t be dry). Hope this help!
My family loves this miso cod recipe! It’s better than most restaurants!
Hi David! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. So happy to hear that you enjoy this simple, yet classic dish!
This is one of my favorite types of fish. I often order it when at a restaurant, Can you please let me know grilling instructions? Thanks
Hi Lyn! Grilling as in BBQ? Miso gets EASILY burnt so I don’t recommend cooking on an open fire as it’s hard to control the heat. Plus the fish is very flakey so it becomes pieces if you try to flip to avoid getting burnt.
Reading your recipe for Miso Cod, as I live in Australia and cod is not available, what type of fish can I substitute? It looks so delicious I could just dive into the photo! Cheers Angie
Hi Angela! You can use salmon or some buttery fish for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! This looks delicious! Can this type of marinade be used for other protein, like chicken or beef?
Love your recipes!!
Hi Theresa! Sure, you can! I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, so I’m not sure if it’s best to adjust the marinade for beef or chicken though… Let us know if you try! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I bought the Hikari Miso – Koji Miso, because you mentioned that is your favorite miso. Would that work on this recipe or does it have to be white miso? What other recipes would the koji miso be good for?
Hi Bo! Ohh you got my favorite miso! Isn’t it delicious? I use this miso for a lot of things – many miso recipes and almost daily miso soup. 🙂
Saikyo Yaki is usually made with sweet miso called Saikyo Miso. But you could use white miso or other miso instead. But it’s saltier and stronger, so you have to adjust by adding sugar or marinate less time, etc.
I’ve been making this with salmon..but I use Hikari Red Miso..still turned out great 🙂
Hi Jos! Sure, you can use all types of miso as miso marinated fish. However, for Saikyozuke (if grilled, Saikyoyaki) is the one using Saikyo Miso.
Thank you for this recipe, I am using it right now. I made the mistake of washing my fish before hand. Does that affect the taste?
Hi Mina! If it’s a quick rinse, it is ok, but we “rinse” with sake so the fish doesn’t get watery. 🙂
This recipe will remain my absolute favourite, forever. It’s. So. Damn. Good!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Melanie!
Hi, I was living in the Bay Area and am now currently living in Japan and can’t wait to make your Miso Cod recipe. I don’t have an oven, but do have a fish grill. Any suggestions for cooking it? Thank you!
Hi Becky! Yeah fish grill is perfect! Until you get used to it, you need to be careful with your fish because the heat source is much closer than oven. It cooks faster too. And having miso, it burns easily, so do remove all the miso (I would use paper towel to completely scrape off but DO NOT WASH). Not sure your fish grill brand and I can’t give you the cooking time needed, but keep an eye on it at least for the first few trials. Hope you enjoy!
Love the sound of this recipe!
May I ask, how long would this keep?
Hi Jade! After you cook? I’d say overnight to 24 hours at max. 🙂
Hi Nami! I’ve started marinating the fish 2 days ago and was going to have it soon, but I have a change of plans that will require me to marinate the fish for a total of 6 days… is that okay? Thanks so much! I’ve made this before and it is amazing and so elegant! <3
Hi Viola! Ahhh I’m so sorry for not being able to respond sooner. 🙁 How was the fish? With this recipe, ideally it should be eaten within a few days but if the fish is fresh it should be okay.
It worked out beautifully! We ended up cooking it on the 7th day 😉 I was nervous about it but it was all good, and we ended up with a very delicious buttery black cod. Thank you as always for your amazing recipes, Nami! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. <3
Hi Viola! Thank you so much for taking your time to write back, and I’m so happy!!! Glad your fish came out well! Nice! Happy Thanksgiving to you too! xo
hi can i use the leftover miso marinade for anything else?
thank you,
jasmin
Hi Jasmin! It’s usually not recommended to reuse as you don’t want to contaminate new ingredient from something left from the previous one.
Hi,
I am wondering if I can freeze the marinated fillet. If so, how long can I keep it in the freezer for?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Christina! 2-3 weeks is best at pre-cook stage. If you cook, it can last 1 month. 🙂
Hi, can I steam it in foil instead for this recipe? Or is there a way to make sure that the fish isn’t overcooked / remain soft instead of dry? I don’t have toaster oven/fanned oven just normal American oven and I think the heat is too aggressive. Thank you so much. Your recipes have helped me cook for my partner and his family a lot. 🙂
Hi Bambi! Cod is pretty fatty/oily fish (See step 4, oil coming out from fish?) so it will less likely that it will be dry unless you overcook it. You can make a tent over the fish to avoid direct heating and that should help you control the “aggressive” oven heat. You can steam it, but you won’t be able to see the fish while cooking and this kind of fatty food is nice to get some char. Hope that helps!
Hi Nami, love this recipe – makes cod so much softer!! Do you think it’s worth reducing the marinade time if I found it slightly too salty? I used white miso and marinaded for 2.5 days.
Hi Laura! Thank you for your kind words. White miso is saltier than Saikyo Miso. So next time, you can definitely adjust the marinade time. 🙂
I made this with salmon and couldn’t be happier with the results! It has become my preferred way to eat salmon.
Hi Jane! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe with Salmon! Thank you for your kind feedback and trying this recipe! 🙂 It’s one of our family favorites too!
This was excellent! I have tried many versions of this recipe, but yours will be my go to recipe. I love that it has no added sugar. Thank you for sharing these great recipes with us.
Hi Sally! Wonderful! I’m so glad you liked this recipe. Yeah, sugar is not necessary but some of the Japanese recipes include both mirin and sugar rather than just mirin. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Made this for family dinner and everyone loved it. Even my cousin who usually doesn’t like seafood. Was hoping to have some leftovers for lunch but it was all eaten at once.
It was easy to make ahead of time. Baked and switch to the broiler for 5 minutes.
Hi Matthew! I’m so glad to hear your family enjoyed it! Thank you so much for trying it and for your kind feedback. 🙂
We followed your recipe and the black cod was delicious! We all enjoyed it very much.
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Do you broil or bake the fish?
Thanks
Hi Anirudh! You “can” use both methods, but miso burns easily so I recommend baking.:)
I just made this and it turned out AMAZING! Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes! ありがとうございます！いただきます！
Hi Brittany! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback! うれしかった！ありがとう！！
Just made this last night, it was wonderful. I can only manage to find the frozen gindara (no fresh ones here in Australia). So, I marinaded the fish while it was still frozen, then I put it in the fridge for 24 hours. Since my fish was a bit thinner than yours I guess the marinade was penetrating. And it was buttery and perfect! My husband loved it (and my toddler too!).
Hi Steph! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it! xoxo
Thank you for all of your great recipes. My Japanese cooking has gotten a lot better with your help. I have gindara in my freezer. Your recipe says to use fresh fish. What happens if I use the frozen fish? Thank you in advance!
Hi Aileen! You can use it but please defrost and use it immediately. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re enjoying cooking Japanese food! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. xo
I just had this tonight and it was amazing! I’ve been trying a lot of your recipes lately and this is now my favorite. BTW, I normally don’t like cooked fish, but this miso black cod is so yummy. My husband and I were craving more after we finished our meal.
Hi Mimi! I’m so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! Thank you very much for taking your precious time to write your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami! If I don’t have sake is it okay to substitute with Chinese rice wine instead?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Johanna! Sure, Chinese rice wine works. 🙂
Very delicious and easy recipe!
I used black cod and followed the recipe with the exception of using white miso.
My fish was on the thin side so it cooked quickly. I broiled for the last 3-4 minutes as I like a crispy skin… which I eat! So good!
Hi Grace! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
Only marinated two days the first time. Delicious! Putting in the fridge for a Saturday dinner, the full 3 day marinade. Question: Is it ok to put the entire thing in a ziploc and marinade that way?
Hi Tamar! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. Yes, you can use a Ziploc. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for a great recipe. I tried it tonight using your miso but with halibut. I marinated for 2 days, using a vacuum sealed marinade canister (Foodsaver). I also used the salt to dry the fish beforehand for 30 minutes.
I placed the fillets in the oven, middle rack, at 350°F for 20 minutes, however the fish was way overcooked. In fact, before I placed it in the oven, when I wiped off the miso, I found that the flesh was very firm already.
Any ideas? The fillets were about 3/4” thick.
Hi Waldo! Thank you for trying this recipe! The thickness of your fish seems similar to mine. The fish gets firmer from being marinated in miso, and we consider it’s a good thing. From your description, it’s hard to tell if your fish was over-cooked because you cook at a much lower temperature.
The only difference seems to be our oven setting. Did you use a convection oven (with a fan) or a gas stove, because they cook much faster than an electric oven (which is what I use – I have both convection and conventional oven but I use the regular oven (no fan) for my international audience).
My oven is a gas oven, conventional (Canadian) size. Yes – the convection setting was on.
I say it was overcooked as it was really tough and dry.
Hi Waldo! Ah, I see – with convection (fan) on and gas stove! The gas stove is much stronger, so it’s hard for me to guess the proper cooking time without using it. Please adjust the bake time based on your experience using the gas stove.
I tried this recipe last night using regular cod. I found it very salty. But, the main disappointment was that it not get a nice char to it. The fish was soggy and the colour was a bit off-putting. How do you manage to get that lovely colour with the charred edges by baking?
Hi Beth! Thanks for trying this recipe! Every miso has different salt content, so I can’t help everyone perfecting the salty level as we all use different miso. White miso is sweeter (less salt) and I use Saikyo Miso which is even sweeter. You can always adjust the saltiness by adding more sugar/mirin in the marinade or the marinate time to fit to your liking. So that’s miso part.
Now the char on the fish. I usually have difficult time NOT having char especially working with miso. I wipe off miso but still, the leftover gets char (as you see in my pictures or video https://youtu.be/uLmhRzBBMa0?t=172).
Oh, was your fish frozen? You described the fish “soggy” and that might be from the moisture in the fish. If you use frozen ones, you have to make sure it’s completely thawed. 🙂
Hi Nami, this is the first time I’m leaving a comment on a food site. I had to do it because I made miso cod with your recipe and it was so delicious. I served it with hiyayakko, sunomono and Japanese rice. It was the perfect meal. Thanks for all your amazing recipes! Greetings from Singapore!
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so excited that your miso cod came out well and your meal sounds phenomenal! Thank you for trying this recipe. xo
Had this the second time in a month. First time I marinated it 24h and had it warm for dinner. Second time I marinated 3 days and then served it cold for a bento themed picnic. Both were fabulous!!
Hi afra! Awesome! So good to hear you liked this recipe. What a wonderful bento you’re making!
I sometimes see fresh black cod/sable fish filets at Costco (fresh fish section). I’m not sure if they are seasonal but as with typical Costco items, each package is quite a lot. Thanks for this yummy recipe. Love the make-ahead idea (and freezable too)- oishii desu 😀
Hi Karen! Ohhh let me know how you like the costco’s sablefish filets! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I worked so hard for this and was so disappointed. Got all the right ingredients, followed the directions, and it looked nice but very little flavor at all!!!!! I’m not giving up but what do I do?????
Hi Dixie! Thanks for trying this recipe and I’m sorry it wasn’t’ as you expected. Please let me know your condiments (since you mentioned about the flavor) and how long you marinated. I hope I can help!
Hi! This recipe looks amazing! I doubled it as I’m using 2.5 pounds of fish for dinner tomorrow night. I have kind of big fillets, about 8 oz each. I was wondering if the baking time will need to be longer or should I cut them in half or is 8 oz ok?
Hi Sarah! Use this guide – 5 minutes for 1/2 inch thickness (follow the thickest part). 🙂
Great recipe and easy to follow for beginner cooks.
If you’re in Berkeley, CA go to Tokyo Fish Market to source some of the ingredients. I got the cod from there along with the mirin, sake, and miso paste.
Salting the fish definitely helped milden the fish flavor and aroma but the fish was really fresh so that wasn’t an issue. I charred the skin a bit too much and it left an intense flavor but sooooo good! I have a few more cut of fish marinating and can’t wait to see the difference in taste.
This would go well in a traditional Japanese breakfast spread or with rice and sunomono salad.
Hi Mo! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I live in Peninsula, but I know many people who love going to Tokyo Fish Market and I’m glad they are doing well as there is no Japanese chain grocery stores in the East Bay. 🙁
Thank you again for your kind feedback!
In your miso salmon recipe you stated: “Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I don’t recommend longer than that as miso is quite salty.” But in this miso black cod recipe you state to marinate at least 2-3 days and that I could substitute salmon for this recipe. Which one is correct or better? Thank you.
Hi Gary! Consider these two recipes are served differently. The longer-marinated fish is to enjoy with steamed rice (We consider it’s the accompaniment for rice ご飯のおかず – the main dish for rice) while Miso Salmon can be served even without rice. It’s just a different type of cooking/dishes. I hope this answers your question.
Hi Nami!
This will be my first time making miso fish and I have 2 beautiful Chilean sea bass filets from a local farmers market, and got the Saikyo miso at 99 Ranch (woo Bay Area!). They are roughly an inch thick and have already had the skin removed. Should I make any cooking alterations because the skin won’t be there to provide a good barrier? I don’t want to burn these babies. Thanks!
Hi Kristen!
This time, we recommend not move around too much.
Chilean sea bass filets are flaky, so please be careful handling. Once it’s cooked, pieces can disintegrate and break apart because there is no skin that’s holding. Another note is, please try marinating for a shorter time and make sure to remove the miso completely before you cook. It’s seasoned enough, and you don’t need to leave any miso.
American fillet prefers non-skin, but please try one with the skin next time. It provides natural oil and tastes better with it.
Good luck!😊
i accidentally got the black cod cut as steaks instead of cut as a fillet. Should i do anything differently due to the different cut?
Hi Ann,
How thick is your steak cut? If you can cut the steak in half and place the skin side up, we recommend doing that. Otherwise, please try marinating for a shorter time and make sure to remove the miso completely before you cook. Then adjust the cooking time because it will be no skin/barrier on top.
We hope this helps!☺️
Hi there! Will this work with Dashi Miso?
Unfortunately that’s all I could find locally
Hi David!
We are sorry to hear that they only carry Dashi Miso. 😔
You may try this recipe with Dashi Miso, but the flavor will be different because it has other ingredients in the miso.
In your case, we recommend marinating for only 1~2 days, so the other ingredients would not overwhelm the flavor.
We hope this helps!
Hello,
Thank you for this recipe! I love doing it but was wondering how you could use the rest of the marinade since you have to swipe any excess on the fish.
Thank you!
Hi Elodie,
We normally do not reuse the marinade sauce from this recipe.
However, you may use it for stir-frying or baking vegetables, etc. Please make sure to use heat and used up on the same day.
We hope this helps!
Made this and it came out great, thank you! I baked it because I’m not good at broiling. Used a silicone mat (Silpat). I could not believe the fish survived just fine in the fridge after 3 ½ days. I guess the miso protected it. Ate it with sliced daikon.
Hi Dave!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!🤩
We are so happy to hear it turned out great, and you enjoyed this dish.
Thank you for writing to us! 💕
How many ounces or pounds for this recipe?
Also, how wide should I cut the pieces into?
I bought 2.85lb (2 very long fish strips) of Alaskan/Pacific Cod at Costco.
Just wondering how wide should I cut/slice the pieces into, for marination and freezing/storing later.
2″, 3″, 4″ wide, etc.?
Thanks!
Hi Edgar,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
Nami’s slices are about 2.5″ wide.
We hope this helps!🙂
Thanks for the info!
I actually just sliced and marinated them an hour ago, and did 2-3″ wide slices… so I got lucky it is close to 2.5″.
I first did your recipe measurements (6tbs saikyo miso, 3tbs mirin, 3tbs sake) and it was enough to dip/cover a lot of fish! It did about 2lbs of my 2.85lb fish.
So, I made a smaller amount for the last pound (2tbs saikyo miso, 1tbs mirin, 1tbs sake), and that was perfect amount!
Hi Edgar,
Great! Thank you for trying this recipe!
We hope you enjoy this dish with warm steamed rice. Let us know how it goes.😉
Hello, has anyone ever used Shio Koji to marinate the Black Cod? If so, would you still use white miso in the recipe and if so would you use the same amount or less?
Hi Suzanne,
Yes. You may use Shio Koji as well.
You may mix it with Miso or use Shio Koji only as you like. As for the amount, we recommend the same amount. But of course, you can add more or less for your liking.
We hope this helps!
I have commented on this recipe before as I absolutely love it (especially with salmon). I will now goes as far as to say that this was my favourite recipe discovery of 2020. And not only mine: I cooked this for several friends and one even said she dreamt of it afterwards. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe – I already know that this is going to be a keeper for life. Wishing you a wonderful New Year!
Hi Afra!
Thank you very much for your love and support!
We are so happy to hear this recipe is going to be your keeper for life!☺️
We wish you a Happy New Year!
Hi Nami-san, thank you for the recipe. I tried cooking with the recipe today, but with a few variations – I used cod instead of black cod (bought the wrong kind of fish), and I cooked it in a toaster oven (425F, 15min) instead of a conventional oven. I did get a little bit of the miso flavour on the surface of the fish, although it was overpowered by the alcohol flavour from the mirin and/or the sake. I am going to try again next time with the right kind of fish and using a conventional oven (and perhaps coating in more salt at the beginning), but I was wondering if you have any tips as to how I can get a stronger miso flavour throughout and how I can eliminate the alcohol flavour entirely. Thank you!
Hi Hiro, Thank you very much for trying this recipe. To get a stronger miso flavor, we recommend marinating longer. How many days did you marinate the fish? You can marinate it for up to 3 days with this recipe. To eliminate the alcoholic flavor, baking a little longer than this time until the surface is blistered and brown a bit may help. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
I really enjoy your recipes and videos! I am looking forward to making the miso black cod soon. I had a question – I noticed you mentioned using an air tight container, would I be able to use my Corningware tightly covered with a couple layers of plastic wrap or what alternatives do you suggest if I do not have an air tight container?
Thank you for help!
Hi Abri, Yes. That should work well as an alternative. Thank you very much for your sweet feedback!
Thank you and you are welcome!
I love this recipe so much that I’ve made this more than once already. (This dish is one of my favorites.) I baked my previous attempts. This time I’m planning to use a fish grill, the type that is found in Japanese kitchens. Do I just follow your recommendations for broiling, or do you recommend some adjustments? Thanks.
Hi JD, Thank you very much for your kind feedback! We are so happy to hear this dish is one of your favorites now.🥰 To use the fish grill, you can follow the instruction for broiling. But please be careful not to overcook the fish since it will be very close to the heating element. Happy Cooking!
Thank you for your response. I cooked this tonight on the fish grill, and followed your advice. I did have to turn/flip the fish fillets as the tops were getting really dark but the bottom bits weren’t done yet. I thought that someone may find this useful. By the way, I also made kabu pickles using 2 of your recipes – so good . I found fresh kabu yesterday and couldn’t resist buying them. Then I went to your site for recipes. By the way, I used a piece of kabu in miso soup, which I made using your recipe. Thank you very much for your website!