Pacific black cod (sable fish) cooked in a broth of sake, rice vinegar, soy sauce and oil, delicious!
Have you ever tried Pacific black cod (aka sablefish)?
It’s a tender, oily fish, sustainably fished, packed with good omega-3 fatty acids and absolutely delicious.
The Whole Foods in my neighborhood carries it regularly. Here’s a wonderfully easy way to make it, taught to me by my friend and avid fisherman Hank Shaw.
The fillets are cooked in a Japanese broth made from sake, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil and ginger. While the fillets are cooking, spoon the simmering sauce over the top of the fillets, so the top is also soaked in the sauce. The fillets are then topped with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions.
Hank salts his fillets first to firm up the meat before cooking. I could go either way with that. If you have time, salt the fish (see recipe notes for instructions), if not, be more careful with the cooked fish as it is quite delicate.
If you have a favorite method for preparing Pacific Black Cod, please let us know in the comments!
Pan-Cooked Pacific Black Cod
Pacific black cod (sablefish) have long pinbones on the sides of their fillets that are difficult to remove before the fish has been cooked. However, once the fillets are cooked, they can easily be removed with tweezers or needle-nosed pliers.
Pacific black cod breaks down easily. If you would like your result to have a firmer texture, salt the fillets in a brine mixture of 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water plus 2 cups crushed ice for 20 minutes.
Sea bass fillets also work with this recipe. Sea bass fillets are thicker, however, so consider simmering them for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.
ingredients
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1 to 1 1/2 lb black cod Fillets, with or without skin
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1/4 Cup sake
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1/4 Cup rice vinegar
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1/4 Cup canolaRice bran or other neutrals oil
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2 tablespoon soy sauce
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
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Dark sesame oilfor garnish
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3 green onionsThinly sliced diagonally for garnish
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1 tablespoon toasted sesame, for garnish
method
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Prepare sauce:
Combine sake, rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, and ginger in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium to medium heat.
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Stewing fish in sauce:
Place each fillet in the pan. (If using skin-on fillets, place the fillets skin-side down in the pan.) Use a spoon to baste the tops of each fillet until you see the fish flakes separate a little, which is about Should take 30 seconds to 1 minute per fillet.
Simmer the fish for 3-6 minutes depending on how thick it is. Estimate 3 minutes for a 1/4 inch thick fillet, up to 6 minutes for an inch thick fillet.
Gently move the fish to individual plates. If you like, use (clean) needle nose pliers or tweezers to remove the pin bones in the fillets.
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Reduce sauce:
Increase the heat of the sauce and simmer vigorously for 1 minute, stirring constantly to reduce the sauce.
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Surcharge:
Pour a tablespoon or more of the sauce over each fillet and discard the rest. Drizzle some sesame oil over each fillet, then garnish with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Serve immediately.
Links:
Nobus Miso Marinated Black Cod from The Kitchn
Black Cod with Summer Vegetables by Use Real Butter
Black cod with a beet, carrot and radish salad, by Cannelle at vanilla
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 598 | calories |
| 49g | Fat |
| 3g | carbohydrates |
| 31g | protein |
