Black cod is a soft and fatty fish, without the strong taste of fat fish like tuna or mackerel. This recipe is inspired by a dish from Nobu restaurant. The sharpness of the miso and sweetness of the mirin work perfectly to cut the fish’s fattiness. Remember that preparation starts 3 days in advance!

Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Pan-fried goat’s cheese
– Dessert: Rosemary panna cotta

Serves 4 people

4 x 150 g skinless, boneless black cod fillets
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp sake
120 ml white miso paste
80 ml caster sugar
vegetable oil for frying

3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly using a mandolin
50 ml rice vinegar
50 ml caster sugar
a pinch of salt

300 ml red camargue and wild rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 baby pak choi, washed and halved lengthways
sesame oil for frying
100 ml soy beans

1. In a small pan, bring the miring and sake to the boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Let cool, then add to the fish, making sure to coat both sides of the fillets. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
2. Mix rice vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Take aside, add salt and ginger. Let cool, then seal and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours to develop the flavour (this can be prepared a day ahead).
3. Boil the rice according to instructions. Once cooked, discard remaining liquid and add butter. Add the rice to a small cup and push down the rice to make it more compact. Keep warm until serving.
4. Boil the soy beans for 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water, then peel off the skin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a grill pan and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes, on each side. Transfer the fish to the oven and roast for 5 minutes, until the fish is flaky.
6. Put the remaining marinade into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then take aside and keep warm.
7. Fry the pak choi in sesame oil in high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
8. To plate, carefully turn over the cup with the rice onto the plate and remove the cup. Add the fish, vegetables and sauce. Decorate with some pickled ginger.

A fabulous fish dish that will suit most people. The recipe comes from a popular Swedish fish restaurant. The sauce can be used in other dishes as well. Be generous with the sauce because your guests will ask for more!

Serve after a starter of Green Pea Soup and with a sweet ending of Roasted Fruit with White Chocolate.

This dish requires quite a bit of time in the kitchen, but is well worth it. The sauce and the potato mix can be prepared in advanced and then reheated.

If you can’t find hake, cod loins or another thick fish fillet to your liking works just as well. (Actually, for this illustration, I didn’t find hake but used cod instead).

Serves 6

1,2 kilo fillet of hake, with skin
Salt
2 tbsp butter

Sauce:
4 echalion shallots (“banana shallots”)
2 tbsp butter
500 ml fish broth
300 ml white wine
50 ml white wine vinegar
300 ml double cream
10 parsley stalks, crushed
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp butter

Vegetable mix:

2 large baking potatoes
1 large fennel
150 g black olives, pitted
100 g sundried tomatoes (in oil)
2 tbsp butter
Salt

Gremolata:

1 lemon
4 garlic cloves
Flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp butter

Sauce (this part may be prepared in advance and later heated. If so, keep refrigerated covered by cling film):

1. Finely chop the shallots. In a saucepan, sauté until translucent, do not brown.
2. Add the broth, wine and vinegar. Let boil over high heat until it has reduced to about half in volume.
3. Add the cream, parsley stalks, lemon peel and juice. Reduce to half by boiling.
4. Strain the sauce into small pan and leave off heat. Add a little butter (will thicken the sauce a bit more) and maybe salt and pepper.

Vegetable mix:

1. Peel potatoes and cut in small cubes. Rinse with cold water (removes some starch before frying).
2. Cut fennel in small cubes (same size as the potato).
3. Halve the olives.
4. Drain the tomatoes and cut in pieces.
5. Over medium heat, brown the potato in butter. Add fennel and sauté for a few more minutes. Add olives and tomatoes.
6. Set aside. Will be re-heated later.

Gremolata:

1. With a potato peeler, peel the lemon thinly (take care not to include too much of the white part as this is bitter). Slice the peel very thinly to form long “threads”.
2. Shred the parsley leaves.
3. Cut the garlic cloves in thin slices and sauté in butter until golden.
4. Mix the lemon peel, parsley and garlic together.

Fish:

1. Oven on 125C
2. Sprinkle the fish with salt.
3. Place the fish in melted butter in hot pan with skin side down. Fry until the skin is golden brown. Do not turn.
4. On a greased oven proof dish, spread ½ of the gremolata to cover an equal area to the fish. Place the fish on top, skin side up this time, and place the dish in the oven until done (about 25-30 minutes).

Finishing:

1. Heat the vegetable mix.
2. Heat the sauce; whisk to give it a bit of a foam.
3. To serve, spoon the vegetable mixture around the fish. Pour a little bit of the sauce around the mix, serve the remaining sauce on the side and the 1/2 gremolata on top.