With just 4 ingredients, my easy Miso Sea Bass recipe makes for an elegant weeknight dinner at home. The slightly charred flavor of buttery fish marinated in a sweet miso and mirin marinade is one of my favorite combinations. It simply melts in your mouth.
Continuing from my last Friday post, I want to share a really quick and easy Japanese meal and today’s feature is seafood, specifically using Chilean Sea Bass. Before I share the recipe, I want to raise awareness of the environmental impact of illegal fishing and the health effects of consuming Chilean Sea Bass. When you purchase Chilean Sea Bass, please make sure it’s from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified market. For more information, please read consumer guides from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and Environmental Defense Fund.
One of my favorite seafood recipes growing up in Japan was miso-marinated fish. The sweet taste of cooked miso and mirin along with the slight bitterness from the charred area goes really well with white rice.
I’ve previously shared Miso Black Cod on Just One Cookbook and for today’s recipe, I’ve decided to use Chilean sea bass aka Patagonian toothfish. The meat of the sea bass is extremely fatty and tender and each bite simply melts in your mouth. I often drizzle lemon on buttery fish since the acidity breaks up the grease and adds an additional dimension to the taste. As I mentioned above, please make sure the market you purchase from is MSC-certified to avoid further damage to our environment and endangered species.
I hope you enjoy this miso-marinated fish. Have a wonderful week ahead!
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Miso Sea Bass
Ingredients
- 2 fillets MSC-certified Chilean sea bass (½ lb, 227 g; you can also use striped bass, Pacific halibut, or sablefish/black cod)
- 2 Tbsp sake (for cleaning the fish)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Clean 2 fillets MSC-certified Chilean sea bass with a paper towel soaked in 2 Tbsp sake.
To Marinate
- In an airtight container that you‘ll use to marinate the fish, combine the marinade ingredients: ¼ cup miso, ¼ cup mirin, and 1 Tbsp sake.
- Mix well and make sure the miso is completely dissolved.
- Add the fish fillets to the container with the marinade. Cover and store in the refrigerator to marinate overnight (12 hours).
- With your fingers, remove the marinade from the fish completely. Do not leave excess miso on the fish as the marinade burns easily. Place the fish skin side up on a baking sheet lined with foil (for broiling) or parchment paper/a silicone mat (for baking).
To Broil (recommended)
- Preheat the broiler* for 3 minutes with a rack placed about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the middle position). Broil on Medium/High for 8–10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish) or until the surface is blistered and browned a bit. You do not need to flip it. *Typical broiler settings: Low: 450ºF/232ºC; Medium: 500ºF/260ºC; and High: 550ºF/288ºC. I use Medium (6 inches or 15 cm away) or High (8 inches or 20 cm away).
To Bake (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with a rack placed in the middle position. For a convection oven, reduce the 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 it.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
This recipe is easy and spectacular!
Hi Fran! Thank you! We are glad to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipe! 🤗
Miso fish :
What other kinds of fish can be used? Will rock fish or talapia be good? What is the difference between black cod, Alaskan cod or just cod? Does it make a difference what kind of cod fish? The markets, even Asian markets just say cod.
I have never used anything but black cod, from Hawaii, or salmon.
Thank you.
Hi Suz! I recommend fatty fish like salmon and cod. It is moist and delicious. The difference between cods… even grocery stores don’t name it correctly too.
Made this dish 2nd time tonight as I found fresh sea bass at Costco. It’s just as delicious as the 1st time! Family approved and asked for more dishes from JOC. Thanks, Nami!
Hi Hanna, We are so glad to hear your family enjoyed this dish! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Do you think I could reuse the marinade for a miso soup or something similar? The miso we used was very expensive so it feels like a shame to throw it out after.
Hi David! It’s usually not recommended to “reuse” the marinade as it may contain the bacteria. If you really want to use it, I recommend cooking the marinade in the saucepan to kill “possible” bacteria and let cool and use it. 🙂
I reused the marinated over eggplants and baked it together with the fish. Save miso, power and both taste great!
Hmm this recipe says it takes 35 days- is that a typo?
Hi Noah! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I’ve noticed my recipe plugin has been acting really strange and saw something like this happened to my other recipe too. 🙁 I apologize, marinate time should be overnight so I fixed to 12 hours. Thank you for letting me know!
Culinary amateur here. Tried this recipe. Super easy. Let it marinate for a few nights then baked it for 19 minutes which was perfect. Paired it with some sauteed brussel sprouts. Phenomenal. Five stars.
Hi Petros! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m so happy to hear it came out well! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
OMG, besides this making super extra hungry. Thank you for using Chilean Bass yummy im very proud of my country and even though i live in Australia. Nothing beats Chile!
Thank you Claudia! I love Chilean sea bass! 🙂