What do I mean?
It's one of those dishes that requires advance planning - marination needs to take place overnight. Not one of those dishes you can make on the spur of the moment. Well, actually, you could; it just wouldn't taste as good.
This dish was inspired by my recent trip to USA. You see, my entire holiday was planned around food, food and food. Yes, first things on the list were the food spots; all else was secondary.
On our last night in Manhattan, we were supposed to hop over to Brooklyn for dinner at a popular steakhouse. But, seduced by a Japanese restaurant we passed by the day before, we decided to ditch the steakhouse and headed for Iron Chef America's MORIMOTO. And it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Every dish was superb!
One of the dishes was Black Cod Miso. Here's the Iron Chef's version:
First, get some black cod. Or just plain white cod will do too. Thaw them thoroughly, and pat them dry.
Now for the marinade...
Miso Marinade:
4 tbs miso paste
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
If you're wondering where to get sake and mirin, see those two yellow and green bottles in the photo below? Those are from the wonderful store named Daiso. Just S$2 each 300ml bottle. Must haves if you cook Japanese dishes.
Blend everything together.
Then pour the marinade over the fish till all pieces are totally submerged.
Cover, and leave it in the fridge for at least 24 hours, and up to 72 hours.
When you're ready for dinner the next day (24 hours), or the day after (48 hours), or the day after the day after (72 hours), remove the fish from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you prepare your side dish.
I put together whatever I found in my kitchen. I sliced some baby potatoes and streaky bacon, dumped them onto a tray with some cherry tomatoes, sprinkled some rosemary and olive oil, then baked them in my oven toaster for about 20 min till the potatoes were soft and the tomatoes have burst.
When your side dish is almost done, whip out your non-stick pan, drizzle some vegetable oil and pan-sear the fish pieces till they're cooked through. Add a little water if the pan dries up.
Onto the plate it goes, and dinner is served! Oh, don't waste the gravy that's left in the pan. You can always drizzle it over the fish.
Verdict from the husband: Tastes almost like Morimoto's.
Okay, that's good enough for me. I'm happy :)
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