Miso Glazed Cod (30g Protein)
Miso glazed cod is the dish restaurants charge 40 dollars for, and the glaze is four ingredients you stir together in a saucepan. Cod is one of the leanest proteins you can buy, so each serving lands at 30g of protein with barely any fat attached.
The broiler does all the work. Ten minutes under direct heat and the glaze blisters into that lacquered, spotted caramel finish you cannot get from baking.
Why this works
Miso and sugar caramelize fast under direct heat, which is exactly what a broiler is. The fish cooks through in the same window the glaze takes to brown, so thick fillets come out moist instead of chalky. The one trick is wiping off the excess marinade before broiling. A thick layer of glaze burns on the outside before the inside ever caramelizes; a thin coat browns evenly. Restaurants marinate black cod for two or three days, but most of the flavor payoff happens in the first 30 minutes, and the brush-and-broil version is still better than most takeout.
Ingredient notes
White miso (labeled shiro) is the mild, slightly sweet one, and it is what you want here. Red miso works but comes out saltier and more aggressive, so cut it to 3 tablespoons. Regular cod is not the same fish as the black cod used at fancy restaurants; black cod is fattier and more luxurious, and if you find it, use it. But ordinary cod, haddock, or halibut all take this glaze well. No sake? Dry sherry is the closest substitute, and plain water is fine, the miso carries enough flavor. If you like this glaze-under-heat style of cooking, my teriyaki salmon bowls use the same logic with a different sauce.
Miso Glazed Cod
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the miso, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool a few minutes. That is the whole glaze.
- Pat the cod completely dry. Coat the fillets in the glaze. If you have 30 minutes, let them sit in it in the fridge. If you have 30 seconds, just brush it on thick and move on. The marinated version is deeper, the brushed version is still very good.
- Set the broiler to high and put a rack about 15 cm (6 inches) below it. Line a baking tray with foil, this glaze welds itself to bare metal.
- Wipe excess marinade off the fish so only a thin coat remains, place on the tray, and broil 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Do not flip. The glaze should blister and catch dark spots in places, and the fish should flake when pressed.
- If the glaze darkens before the fish is done, move the tray to a lower rack and give it 2 more minutes.
- Serve over rice with scallions, spooning any glaze from the tray over the top.
Tips and storage
Cooked cod keeps 2 days in the fridge and reheats better than you would expect at 50 percent microwave power, covered. The glaze itself keeps 2 weeks refrigerated, so make a double batch and use it on salmon, chicken thighs, or eggplant. For a faster seafood night with zero broiler involvement, the garlic butter prawns are done in 15 minutes flat.
Keep cooking
