
Inspired by many delicious meals at Nobu in New York, this dish really highlights the impeccable sablefish from Sitka. Sablefish is delicate and quite fatty. The salty miso and soy stand up to the richness while the sweetness of the mirin complements the mellow flavor of the fish. While this dish might seem difficult if you eat it out at a restaurant, this is an easy way to prepare sablefish and impress yourself in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mirin
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup white or yellow miso paste
- 4 (8 ounce) sablefish (black cod) fillets
Directions
Marinate Sablefish
Whisk mirin, soy, brown sugar, and miso paste together in a shallow dish. Pat fillets dry and lay in the dish skin-side up. Marinate your fish in this mixture for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better. At Nobu, they marinate for a few days. We aren’t opposed to letting your fish thaw overnight in a Ziploc bag with this mixture and making it the next night for dinner.
Broil Sablefish
When your fish has marinated, remove from the dish, leaving the fish coated with a thin layer of the miso mixture. Preheat your broiler on high, and place a rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Place skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet (the miso mixture is sticky so it will adhere to an unlined tray). Broil 3-4 minutes until the miso mixture has dried and started to bubble. Gently flip fish and broil the flesh side of the fish for an additional 3-4 minutes until the mixture has bubbled and the fish begins to flake.
Plate + Serve
We served our miso-glazed sablefish over white rice and some wilted spinach tossed with sesame oil, sea salt, and sesame seeds.
Pro Tips

Swap the Soy for Saké
- 4 (½ lb) sablefish fillets
- ¼ c mirin
- ¼ c saké
- ½ c white miso Paste
- 3 Tbsp sugar (or local honey)
In a small saucepan, bring mirin and saké to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over medium heat, whisking until dissolved. Let cool.
Set sablefish fillets in a large baking dish and coat with cooled marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours, but up to two days. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook fillets 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with pickled ginger and your favorite rice.