The Recipe: Miso Black Cod
Serves 2 · 15 minutes hands-on, plus 12 to 24 hours marinating
Plan ahead: 5 minutes the night before, about 20 minutes the night you eat.
Why this pairing: Umami and minerality. This take on Nobu’s miso black cod is as good today as it was nearly 40 years ago, and it’s loaded with savory depth. Chablis is grown in Kimmeridgian soil, packed with fossilized oyster shells from an ancient seabed, and the wine is known for a saline, oyster-shell minerality that amplifies miso’s fermented umami. Briny wine, savory glaze, buttery fish: every part of the plate has a partner in the glass.
You’ll need:
½ cup white miso
⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake (look for individual sake servings if you don’t drink sake)
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 skin-on black cod (sablefish) fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each
Cooking spray
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 (8.8-ounce) pouch microwavable short-grain or jasmine rice
Furikake, for sprinkling
Do this:
The night before, whisk the miso, sugar, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pat the cod dry with paper towels, put it in a 1-gallon zip-top bag, and pour in the marinade. Press out the air, seal the bag, and turn it to coat the fish. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the bag once or twice.
When you’re ready to cook, set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, set a wire rack on top, and spray the rack lightly with cooking spray. Wipe the excess marinade off the cod, since the extra sugar burns before the fish cooks through, and place the fillets on the rack skin side down.
Broil the cod for 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the glaze is deeply browned in spots and the thickest part reads 125°F. If the top darkens before the fish is done, move the sheet down a rack. While the cod broils, steam the broccoli until bright green and just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Heat the rice according to the package directions and sprinkle it with furikake.
Plate it, pour the wine!
Printable recipe card below.
The Pour
Lamblin & Fils, Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume, 2022 (or the current vintage)
It’s richer than most Chablis, with ripe orchard fruit and some breadth from warm, south-facing slopes. 2022 was a warm, sunny vintage, which added body. That’s what you want against buttery, fatty fish and a sweet-salty glaze, and it still has enough minerality and acidity to cut through the richness. Serve it cold but not ice-cold, about 15 minutes out of the fridge, so the fruit comes through. About $50. Any basic Chablis, around $20 to $25, will work in its place.
The One Thing to Know
Chablis is Chardonnay for people who don’t like California Chardonnay. In fact, I didn’t think I liked white wine until I tried Chablis. I thought all white wine tasted like the oaky, buttery California Chardonnays I’d had. The biggest difference is the oak: most Chablis is made in stainless steel tanks or old, neutral barrels instead of new oak, so its crisp acidity and minerality shine through.
Tuesday, but nicer.