A piece of grilled fish with caramelized edges is served on a decorative white plate with a blue pattern, garnished with green leaves. Chopsticks and side dishes are partially visible around it.

The savory-sweet flavors of Miso Sea Bass are irresistible. Marinated overnight in a miso and mirin sauce, the tender and buttery Chilean sea bass broils quickly for a restaurant-quality meal at home. I grew up enjoying miso-marinated fish in Japan, and it’s one of my favorite seafood dishes to share with my family today.

If you enjoy Japanese-style fish, try my Miso Salmon, Miso Cod, or Teriyaki Salmon recipes next!

A grilled fillet of miso-glazed fish garnished with a green leaf, served on an oval plate with a blue floral pattern, surrounded by bowls of rice, pickles, and soup on a wooden table.

What is Miso-Marinated Fish?

This style of miso-marinated fish is similar to Saikyo yaki (西京焼き), named after Kyoto’s famous sweet white miso. This tradition in Japanese cooking dates back centuries, when miso was used as both a seasoning and a natural preservative. Today, you’ll find miso-marinated fish served in restaurants, bento boxes, and home kitchens in Japan. For this recipe, I use Chilean sea bass (Patagonian toothfish) prized for its rich, buttery flesh.

Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Why I Love This Recipe

  • Buttery and rich – Chilean sea bass is extremely fatty and tender, so each bite simply melts in your mouth!
  • Deeply flavorful – The miso marinade absorbs completely overnight, so broiling creates a caramelized miso glaze that’s savory and sweet with a pleasant slight bitterness from the signature char.
  • Meal-prep hero – Start marinating the fish the night before, then quickly broil it the next day for a restaurant-quality main dish.
A Japanese meal set on a wooden tray features grilled fish, rice, miso soup, a vegetable side dish, and leafy greens, with chopsticks and a red napkin nearby. The dishes are arranged neatly in small bowls and plates.
A beautifully plated serving of miso-glazed grilled fish garnished with green leaves, surrounded by small dishes of vegetables and rice, with chopsticks resting on the plate.

Ingredients for Miso Sea Bass

  • Chilean sea bass fillets – skin on; MSC certified (see note below)
  • Kosher salt
  • Sake
  • Miso marinade:
    • Miso – Use awase (mixed) miso or a combo of red and white miso paste
    • Mirin
    • Sugar

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to Recipe

NOTE: Chilean sea bass has faced overfishing in the past. To support sustainable fishing, please make sure to buy only from markets certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). For more information, check Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch or the Environmental Defense Fund.

Substitutions

  • Sake and mirin – For this recipe, do not replace the sake and mirin with water. If you use water instead, it can spoil during the long marination and ruin the fish.
A plate with a glazed, grilled fish fillet garnished with a green leaf, surrounded by bowls of rice, pickles, soup, and salad, with chopsticks resting nearby on a wooden table.

How to Make Miso Sea Bass

Preparation

  1. Salt and rinse. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the fillets with kosher salt and let rest 10 minutes. Drizzle with sake, then pat dry with paper towels.
  1. Make marinade. Mix miso, mirin, and sugar in a container or tray until smooth.
  2. Marinate. Coat the fish with the marinade ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–12 hours).
A hand sprinkles salt from a small glass bowl onto two raw fish fillets placed in a metal tray on a wooden surface.
A person patting a raw fillet of fish, with skin attached, dry using a white paper towel.
A person uses a whisk to mix a thick, light brown sauce or batter in a rectangular metal tray on a wooden surface.
Two pieces of raw fish are marinating in a clear plastic container with a lid, placed on a wooden surface. Hands are holding the sides of the container.

Cooking

  1. Wipe the excess marinade completely from each piece of fish.
  2. Broil. Place skin side up on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Place the rack 6 inches (15 cm) away from the heat source and broil on Medium (500ºF / 260ºC) until blistered and slightly charred, about 7–8 minutes.
  3. Transfer to individual plates. Enjoy!
A person rubs marinade onto a raw fish fillet with skin, holding it over a metal tray filled with more fillets and marinade.
Two pieces of fish with skin on, placed on a foil-lined baking tray, are being cooked in an oven. The tray sits on the oven rack, and the oven interior is visible.
A Japanese breakfast set with grilled fish, rice, miso soup with tofu, pickles, greens, seaweed salad, and a side salad with tomato and lettuce, all neatly arranged on a wooden tray.

Nami’s Recipe Tips

  • Don’t skip salting. A light salting before marinating draws out moisture and odor, firms the flesh, and enhances natural flavor.
  • Always rinse with sake. This traditional step removes odor and cleans the fish before marinating.
  • Marinate overnight. A long marination time develops a succulent texture in the fish. It also allows the sweet and salty flavor to absorb completely. Target 8 to 12 hours, as less than 6 hours is too short and more than 24 hours is too long.
  • Wipe off all the marinade. Miso burns easily, so remove as much of the marinade as possible before broiling.
  • Broil for best results. Direct heat gives the fish its signature charred edges and deep flavor. For the medium heat setting on the broiler, be sure to place the oven rack 6 inches (15 cm) away from the heat source.
A Japanese meal with glazed grilled fish on a decorative plate, steamed rice, pickled vegetables, fresh salad, and miso soup, served on a wooden tray with chopsticks.
A piece of grilled fish with caramelized edges is served on a decorative white plate with a blue pattern, garnished with green leaves. Chopsticks and side dishes are partially visible around it.

Variations and Customizations

  • Squeeze lemon. I often drizzle lemon on buttery fish since the acidity breaks up the grease and adds an additional taste dimension.
  • Use different fish. Try striped bass, Pacific halibut, or sablefish (gindara; black cod). Each type of fish has a slightly different texture and richness but works beautifully with the miso mixture.
  • Adjust sweetness. Chilean sea bass is naturally rich and fatty, so I made the sauce a bit sweeter on the side to balance the flavor. You can, of course, reduce the sugar slightly to suit your taste.
  • Bake it. Skip your oven’s broiler and bake it in a pan (see recipe below).

What to Serve with Miso Sea Bass

This flavorful Chilean sea bass recipe is a lovely centerpiece of a Japanese menu for an everyday family meal or on a special occasion with guests. Here are some favorite pairings:

A bizenware containing kinpira gobo, a classic Japanese side dish.
A white Japanese ceramic bowl containing Simmered Fried Tofu and Greens.
Small Japanese bowls containing Japanese cucumber salad called Sunomono.
White plates of fresh green salad with lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, and cherry tomatoes, topped with vibrant orange carrot ginger dressing and served with a gold fork on a marble surface.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.

To reheat: Rewarm gently in a toaster oven or oven until heated through.

A grilled, caramelized fish fillet garnished with green leaves is served on a decorative plate, surrounded by rice, pickles, soup, and side dishes on a wooden tray.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use another fish instead of sea bass?

Yes. This recipe works well with striped bass or Pacific halibut fillets. If you have sablefish, try my Miso Black Cod recipe.

Can I shorten the marinating time?

Ideally, you should marinate the fish for 8–12 hours for the best flavor. Don’t marinate it less than 6 hours, as it’s not enough time for the flavors to absorb into the fish.

Can I prepare this ahead of time?

Yes. You can marinate the fish up to 24 hours (but no more than this) or freeze marinated fillets for future use.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

A plate with a glazed, grilled fish fillet garnished with a green leaf, surrounded by bowls of rice, pickles, soup, and salad, with chopsticks resting nearby on a wooden table.
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4.73 from 33 votes

Miso Sea Bass

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
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.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Marinating: 8 hours
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 fillets MSC-certified Chilean sea bass (½ lb or 227 g total; or substitute striped bass or Pacific halibut)
  • ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp sake

For the Marinade

  • ¼ cup miso (use awase (mixed) miso or a combo of red and white miso)
  • ¼ cup mirin (do not substitute)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

  • Before You Start: Please note that this recipe requires a marination time of overnight (8–12 hours). Now, gather all the ingredients.
    Raw fish fillets on a metal tray, surrounded by small bowls containing miso paste, sugar, salt, sake, mirin, and a clear liquid, all on a wooden surface.

Day 1: To Marinate

  • Lightly sprinkle both sides of 2 fillets MSC-certified Chilean sea bass with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Let rest for 10 minutes.
    Nami's Tip: Salting draws out excess moisture and odor, firms the flesh, and enhances the natural flavor.
    Two hands sprinkle salt onto raw fish fillets in a metal tray; the left image shows the salt being added from fingers, the right image shows salt being poured from a small glass bowl.
  • Meanwhile, combine ¼ cup miso, ¼ cup mirin, and 1 Tbsp sugar in an airtight container that's big enough to hold the fish (I used my favorite stainless prep tray). Mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved.
    Two-panel image: left shows hands holding bowls of oil and sugar above a tray with miso paste; right shows a whisk mixing the ingredients into a smooth sauce in the same tray.
  • Sprinkle 2 Tbsp sake over the fish to rinse it, then pat dry with a paper towel.
    Nami's Tip: Rinsing with sake cleans the fish and removes odor.
    Three-step process for preparing fish: pouring liquid onto fish fillets, patting the fillet with a paper towel, and pressing a paper towel on the fillet to dry it.
  • Add the fish to container. Spoon the marinade over the fillets to coat them completely. Cover and marinate overnight (8–12 hours) in the refrigerator.
    Two images side by side: on the left, a hand spoons marinade over two fish fillets in a metal container; on the right, the container is covered with a transparent plastic lid, showing the fillets inside.

Day 2: To Cook

    To Broil (recommended)

    • Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with neutral oil or cooking spray. Remove the marinated fish from the refrigerator. Preheat the broiler on the Medium setting for 3 minutes. Set the oven rack in the middle position about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the top heating element.
      Nami's Tip: For this recipe, I use the Medium broiler setting at 500ºF (260ºC) and 6 inches (15 cm) away from the heating element. Alternatively, you could use the High setting at 550ºF (288ºC) and 8 inches (20 cm) away.
      Left: A hand brushes oil onto a foil-lined baking tray. Right: Two fish fillets marinate in orange-colored sauce inside a metal container.
    • Gently wipe off the miso marinade completely from the fish with your fingers. Do not leave any excess, as miso burns easily. Place the fish skin side up on the prepared baking sheet.
      A person marinates fish fillets in sauce, then places two fillets with skin on a foil-lined baking sheet, ready for cooking.
    • Broil on Medium until the surface is blistered and browned, about 7–8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets). You do not need to flip it.
      Nami's Tip: I broiled for 10 minutes this time, so you can see that my fish was well charred. For a bit less char, remove after 7–8 minutes.
      Side-by-side photos show fish fillets on a foil-lined baking tray in an oven: on the left, the raw fish fillets; on the right, the fillets are cooked and browned.

    To Serve

    • Transfer the fish to individual plates and enjoy!
      Two images of miso-glazed black cod: one shows the fish freshly baked on foil, the other presents it served on a decorative plate with a wooden table and other dishes partially visible in the background.

    To Bake (optional)

    • Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with the rack placed in the middle position. For a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the fish on top, skin side up. Bake until the surface is blistered and slightly charred, about 15–20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets). You do not need to flip it.

    To Store

    • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 230kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 18mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 233IU, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 1mg

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    Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 1, 2012. It was republished on October 8, 2025, with a slightly revised recipe and additional helpful details.