Make Nobu‘s famous Miso Cod at home today! Also known as Black Cod with Miso, this classic Japanese seafood dish is delicate, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. You‘ll be surprised by how easy it is to pull this off at home.
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. 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.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It requires only a few simple ingredients. I also provided substitutes (see my Recipe Card) on how to prepare the recipe using other types of fish.
- Super fast for an elegant main dish. While the marination requires a minimum of 2 days, the actual prep time takes only 10 mins and the cook time in the oven 20 mins. All in all, a fuss-free recipe!
- Prep-friendly! After marination, you can individually wrap the fish and store it in a freezer bag for up to 2-3 weeks. When ready to cook, just defrost it in the fridge. Perfect for the holiday season.
Best Type of Miso Paste 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 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 refers to “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
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.
Quick Notes on Black Cod (Sablefish)
It’s easy to mistake black cod as another type of cod, but black cod is actually not a member of the cod family at all! The actual name is sablefish (gindara 銀ダラ) or butterfish, but it is commonly referred as black cod because of its similar appearance to cod.
Black cod (sablefish) is known for its silky and tender rich texture and flavor. High in omega-3 fats and quality protein, 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. In fact, black cod with miso marinade is probably one of the most popular preparations for the fish.
Where to Buy Black Cod
I usually buy black cod from my local Japanese supermarket 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.
Other Fish Choices Besides “Black Cod”
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.
Baking vs. Broiling Fish
Although I use a broiler in my oven to cook different types of fish often (including miso cod and Japanese thin-sliced fish fillets), I recommend baking this miso cod especially if you have never tried the broiling method for black cod 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 between 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 the 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, the 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 the 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.
What to Serve with Miso Cod
Miso black cod makes an impressive main dish to serve as part of a classic Japanese ichiju sansai style dinner, especially on a special occasion or during the holiday. Prep it ahead, bake in the oven, and dinner is ready. Easy but no lack of elegance.
We would serve it with steamed rice, a side of green, and a simple soup. Here are some recipes that pair well with this beautiful dish:
- 21 Popular Japanese Vegetable Dishes
- Chrysanthemum Greens and Tofu Salad
- Simmered Fried Tofu and Greens
- Classic Miso Soup
- Vegetable Miso Soup
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Miso Cod (Black Cod with Miso)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 fillets sablefish (gindara) (4-6 oz or 113-170 g per fillet; skin-on; about 1 inch or 2.5 cm thick)
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp sake (to clean the fish and remove its odor)
For the Miso Marinade with Saikyo Miso (Traditional)
- 6 Tbsp Saikyo miso (Kyoto-style white miso) (西京味噌, a sweet white miso)
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 3 Tbsp sake (do not substitute)
For the Miso Marinade with Regular White Miso (Optional)
- 6 Tbsp white miso (for miso types that are saltier than white miso, add more mirin or/and sugar)
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 3 Tbsp sake (do not substitute)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Before You Start: Select the freshest fish possible, as you will be marinating this fish for a few days. Please note that this recipe requires a marination time of 2–3 days. If you use skinless fish, marinate it for a shorter period of time. You can also use salmon and sea bass in this recipe.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Marinate the Fish (2–3 days before serving)
- Sprinkle 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over 4 fillets sablefish (gindara) and set it aside for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out excess moisture and reduce the fish‘s odor.
- Meanwhile, make the marinade. In a bowl, add 6 Tbsp Saikyo miso (Kyoto-style white miso), 3 Tbsp mirin, and 3 Tbsp sake for the traditional recipe. (Optional: If you are making the optional recipe using 6 Tbsp white miso, add 1 Tbsp sugar.) Tip: While in some recipes we can replace sake with water, it‘s not a suitable substitute in this recipe due to the longer marination time required.
- Mix it all together and pour the marinade into a flat-bottomed 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 container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days for the traditional method. Tip: If you are not using Saikyo miso or regular white miso, you can reduce the marination time to several hours or overnight. Since other miso types are saltier than white miso, please adjust the flavor by adding more mirin or/and sugar.
To Remove the Fish from the Marinade
- With your fingers, wipe the marinade off the fish completely. Do not leave any excess marinade on the fish; otherwise, it will burn easily. At this point, you can individually wrap the fish with plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag for up to 2–3 weeks. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking.
To Prepare the Fish for Cooking
- Place the fish skin side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper/silicone mat (for baking) or aluminum foil (for broiling).
To Bake (Recommended)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200ºC) with a rack placed in the center of the oven. For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Bake the fish on the parchment paper until the surface is blistered and browned a bit, about 20 minutes. You do not need to flip the fish. Please remember the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish.
To Broil (Optional)
- Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 8 inches (20 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. Tip: 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. *There are usually three broiler settings: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use the Medium (6 inches away) or High (8 inches away) setting.
- Place the fish on the foil-lined baking sheet and broil on High (550ºF/288ºC) for 8–10 minutes until the surface is blistered and browned 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.
To Serve
- Carefully remove the fish with a spatula and remove any burnt miso from the fish. Serve immediately. I serve the fish with thinly sliced red radishes and garnish it with a small green leaf from my backyard for additional color. We always eat this dish with rice.
To Store
- You can keep the cooked leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.
Notes
- Sake: Sake is used to clean and remove the 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. If you want to omit the mirin, use sugar only. For 1 Tbsp mirin, use 1 tsp sugar.
Nutrition
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 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!
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 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!😊
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.
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!
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). 🙂
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!
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!
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!
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
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,
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.
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. 🙂
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
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. 🙂