Recipe: Miso Glazed Black Cod over Soba Noodles

I've honestly had so many different versions of this dish because it is one of my favorites in Japanese cooking. I've made some modifications to make it easier for we American cooks to recreate the dish. I also add a spicy note to mine that is not typical in most Japanese versions. Also, the citrus is not common either - but I think it just adds excellent flavor to what is a relatively oily and fatty fish. "Black Cod" is the American name for the sablefish and it is very common and accessible here on the West Coast. On the East Coast, sea bass is likely more accessible and can be used. However, regular varieties of "cod" should not be used here - they won't be able to stand up to the marinating and glaze process. Some recipes go from marinade right to cooking - others from glaze to cooking. Personally, I find the combined process produces the most intense flavor and goes best with the heartier soba noodles.

Miso Glazed Black Cod over Soba Noodles

Ingredients

Marinade

2 cups of water

1 cup of dashi stock

3/4 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup fish sauce

8 small thai chiles, minced

Glaze

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 cup red miso paste

2/3 cup sake

2/3 cup mirin

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon of orange zest

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon corn starch

Main

2 lbs. of sablefish (black cod) filets

16 oz. of cooked soba noodles

2 cups of chopped bok choy, steamed

2 cups dashi stock

2 tbsp. black sesame seeds

2 teaspoons togarashi powder 

Directions

Whisk marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Place fish filets into the marinade, cover, and marinade at least 8 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk all ingredients of the glaze together in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking until the glaze mixture reduces to about 1 1/2 cups and easily coats the back of a spoon, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove fish from marinade onto paper towels and pat dry thoroughly. Heat an oiled outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan to medium high heat. Coat filets thoroughly in the reserved glaze. Place on the grill for 2 - 3 minutes on each side to sear. Transfer to a casserole dish and baste each piece in the remainder of the glaze. Bake an additional 10 - 12 minutes until fish is cooked through, turning over halfway through cooking time.

Place equal amounts of soba noodles, bok choy, dashi stock, sesame seeds, and togarashi powder into large bowls and toss to mix. Place a fish filet on top of each bowl. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Chinese "Red Cooking" Master Stock

As discussed in prior posts, I use this stock primarily to poach heartier whitefish such as halibut, cod, and sea bass, but, it can be used to poach chicken, duck, pork (lean or fattier cuts), and other types of seafood. The "red" color appears at the end of poaching. For fish, poaching time is approximately 8 - 10 minutes for filets that are 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. For chicken, duck, or pork, poaching time should be at least 30 minutes - use an instant read thermometer to make sure the meat is cooked through. I usually serve over rice or Asian noodles such as udon or soba.

"Red Cooking" Master Stock

Ingredients

3/4 cup light soy sauce

2/3 cup dark soy sauce

1/3 cup fish sauce

1 cup Shao Xing cooking wine

2 tbsp. sesame oil

4 cups seafood stock (use vegetable stock if seafood stock is not available)

3 cups water

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large onion, diced

Peel of 1 orange, coarsely chopped

1/8 cup of sliced fresh garlic

1/8 cup of fresh ginger slices

8 small Thai chiles, coarsely chopped (2 - 3 jalapenos if Thai chiles are not available)

3 cinnamon quills

5 star anise pods

2/3 cup unsalted roasted seaweed, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. canola or other neutral oil

1 bunch of scallions, diced (for garnish of final dishes)

Directions

Heat canola oil in large (3 qt.+) pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and chiles. Cook until onions become translucent and begin to brown. Add all other ingredients to the pot. Raise heat to high and heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Once boiling, reduce to very low simmer (low heat), and cover. Cook at low simmer for at least 90 minutes up to 2 hours, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes.

To poach, place seafood or meat into stock (in batches if necessary) and cover. Do not disturb until at least 8 minutes (for fish) and at least 25 - 30 minutes (for poultry and pork) to check for doneness.

Recipe: Mu Shu Pork

Not exactly authentic, but extremely tasty... made this last night for my friend Howard and his partner... both are still raving about it today.

Ingredients:

2 1/3 lbs. of pork butt steak (pork tenderloin will also work, but the fattier butt is a better choice if you can get it)

2 tbsp. canola or other neutral oil

2 large leeks, leaves and ends removed, finely chopped

1 head of green cabbage, loosely chopped

1 1/2 cups of wild mushrooms, loosely chopped

2/3 cup low-salt soy sauce

1 cup dry vermouth

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. white pepper

2 tsp. orange zest

1 tbsp. chili pepper paste

3 tbsp. garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tbsp. black sesame seeds

Directions:

Slice the pork butt into thin strips. Heat the canola oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the pork and saute until the pork is about half done. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper paste, orange zest, and white pepper and mix thoroughly. Add the chopped leeks and cover, reduce heat to medium, cook for about 4 - 5 minutes to sweat the leeks. Uncover, add the mushrooms, return heat to medium high, and recover. Cook another 3 - 4 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the soy sauce, vermouth, sugar, and salt together. Uncover the wok and add the sauce. Mix thoroughly and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage and mix thoroughly. Recover, cook for an additional 5 minutes to sweat down the cabbage. Uncover, return heat to high, and cook stirring frequently until the sauce is fully reduced, about an additional 10 - 12 minutes. Then drizzle the well beaten eggs all over slowly, stirring to combine, and continue stirring until the egg is fully cooked. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over and mix to combine. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Hoisin sauce and warmed small flour tortillas can be served for wrapping on the side, but as you notice above, it's just as good served with white rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spicy Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb. of okra, stems cut off

2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cups of shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 inch chunks

4 medium tomatoes, chunked into 1 inch cubes

10 garlic cloves, cut into 1/8 inch slivers

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

6 tbsp. of Thai red curry paste (4 - 5 tbsp. if heat is a problem for you :))

3 tbsp. of fish sauce (to make this truly vegetarian, substitute 2 1/2 tbsp. of rice vinegar mixed with 1/2 tbsp. of sea salt for the fish sauce)

2 tbsp. minced lemongrass

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large wok or stir-fry pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, and lemongrass and saute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, okra, and carrots and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, fish sauce, and curry paste. Stir to combine all ingredients. Turn the heat to high and heat until the mixture is boiling vigorously. Then reduce heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the consistency of the curry. It should be of medium thickness, akin to a gravy. If the curry is really thin, whisk 1 tbsp. of corn starch with 2 tsp. of warm water and add to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro as a final step. Serve immediately over jasmine rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spiced Sea Scallops with Soy/Scallion Reduction

It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I'd come back with a recipe that was just outstanding. I made this tonight, although I have made this exact same recipe before.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of sea scallops

2 1/2 tsp. of Chinese Five Spice powder (contains ground cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, and fennel seed)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 cup chopped scallions

3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Mix all of the dry spice ingredients together to make a spice rub. Coat the scallops with the spice rub. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place the scallops in the pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Remove the scallops from the pan. Drain off all but about 1 tsp. of the oil in the pan. Add the scallions. Saute the scallions for about 2 minutes then add the soy sauce. Stir vigorously for about 3 - 4 minutes as the sauce reduces. Poor the sauce over the scallops. Serve immediately with sticky jasmine rice.

Makes 4 servings.