This Miso Marinade for Fish is a classic Japanese seafood dish for a reason - it's sophisticated enough for a weekend dinner party and simple enough for a great weeknight meal. The best of all worlds!
Japanese restaurant Nobu in New York makes an internet famous miso marinated black cod recipe. Black cod is a fatty fish that's not widely available in Portugal. Using a leaner fish like branzino (European sea bass) is a great alternative in this recipe, producing fantastic results at a fraction of the restaurant price.
What you'll need to make this recipe:
Before we get into the step by step instructions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Fish: I used branzino in this recipe, but black cod is certainly a great option. If you're a salmon lover, grab a few fillets and use them instead of white fish. Salmon fillets are generally thicker than branzino, so you may want to leave the fish in the marinade longer.
Sriracha: this popular hot sauce adds both flavor and a bit of heat to our marinade. If you prefer a completely mild experience, omit. If you like sambal or chili crisp, substitute.
Exact measurements and instructions included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions:
1. Make marinade
To begin, combine miso, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha and brown sugar in a shallow dish. Use a wire whisk or fork to combine well.
2. Marinade fish
Dry your fish fillets well with a paper towel. Move the fillets to the dish of marinade. Coat each fillet on both sides, then cover tightly with plastic wrap or lay parchment paper over the soaking fillets and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
Sometimes I am able to marinate for a full 24 hours, but usually I make the marinade in the morning and soak the fish all day before dinner.
When you're ready to prepare the fillets, remove from the refrigerator and allow the fillets to come up to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Remove fillets from the marinade and let some of the excess miso mixture drip off of the fish.
3. Sear fish
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add neutral oil to the pan and sear on each side for 4 minutes.
The sugars in the marinade will cause the fish to caramelize, which brings delicious flavor. But left unattended, those sugars will go from caramelized to burnt in just a minute. So keep an eye on the fish as it sears.
4. Garnish and serve
When cooked through and crisped on both sides, remove fish from the pan to a serving platter. Serve seared fish with steamed white or brown rice and sauteed vegetables.
FAQs and Serving Suggestions:
Traditionally, fatty fish like salmon and black cod are used in a long-marinade version of this dish. But for many of us, a full 72 hour marinade process isn't practical. I have found this marinade and shortened process works well with branzino (European sea bass), sea bream, even cod. These fish fillets are leaner and don't have the fat content of salmon and black cod, but they are delicious and widely available and create a restaurant-quality meal.
Miso is a traditional Japanese fermented paste made of soybeans, grain, salt and a type of fungus that all leads to a super-savory flavor. There are three main types of miso.
For this marinade, I used Shiro miso, which is also called white miso, and it's my first choice for this recipe. I like to think of it as your starter miso. Mild enough to suit every palate, a little sweet, but still packing a savory umami punch.
Red miso is the second main type of miso and it falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. Fermented much longer than white miso, it's pungent and salty and perfect for heartier meals.
Awase miso is a mix of white and red miso, so it would be a great option in this recipe if you want your miso marinade a little stronger.
Here's even more info on miso from our friends at Epicurious!
Fresh fish is always a great option, but frozen fish is often more widely available and cost effective. If using frozen fish, allow the fish to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, preferably on a rack so excess water can drain before marinating in the miso mixture.
Simple steamed white or brown rice is delicious, along with Fresh Ginger Scallion Sauce. Baby bok choy sauteed with a little soy sauce and sesame oil is my go-to green vegetable for this fish dish, but broccoli or snow peas would work just as well. Chinese Eggplant in Oyster Sauce would be another great side.
To store, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Hungry for more Asian-inspired seafood? Check out these recipes next!
Print
Easy 6-Ingredient Miso Marinade for Fish
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-3
Ingredients
2-3 white fish fillets, such as branzino
2 tablespoons neutral oil
3 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha
Instructions
- To begin, mix all marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Use a wire whisk or fork to combine well.
- Dry your fish fillets well with paper towels. Move the fillets to the shallow dish of marinade. Coat on both sides with the marinade, then cover tightly with plastic wrap or press parchment paper over the marinating fillets and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. (Sometimes I am able to marinate for a full 24 hours, but usually I make the marinade in the morning and soak the fish all day before dinner.)
- When you're ready to prepare the fillets, remove from the refrigerator and let the fish come up to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Remove the fillets from the marinade and let some of the excess marinade drip off of the fillets. (You want to keep the flavor in the fish, but remove any extra marinade that may burn.)
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Sear fish on each side for 4 minutes. The sugars in the marinade will create beautiful caramelization, which brings delicious flavor. But left unattended, those sugars will go from caramelized to burnt in just a minute. So keep an eye on the fish as it sears.
- When the fish is cooked through, serve with steamed rice and sauteed vegetables.
Notes
I used branzino in this recipe, but black cod is certainly a great option. If you're a salmon lover, grab a few fillets and use them instead of white fish. Salmon fillets are generally thicker than branzino, so you may want to leave the fish in the marinade longer.
Sriracha is a popular hot sauce that adds both flavor and a bit of heat to the marinade. If you prefer a completely mild experience, omit. If you like sambal or chili crisp, substitute.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Japanese
GARY LUDORF
This website is so jammed with advertisement pop-ups it became very aggravating. I had to exit the recipe and find my way back and then it hung again. I hope these advertisements pay well because it is costing you viewers.
Christina Jolam
Hi, Gary. I'm sorry for the frustration - I have installed a "Jump to Recipe" button at the top of each blog which lets you skip over most of the ads and I hope you'll take advantage of that. I do work full time creating recipes, testing, photographing and building this website. And I provide it free of charge to anyone who wants to learn to cook seafood - the advertisers help me cover my costs. Some creators put up paywalls, forcing readers to pay a membership before accessing recipes. At this point, I've chosen to keep all of my content free of charge. So I appreciate you understanding that we all have to make a living. Thanks for your feedback and I hope you'll come back.
Kate
The marinade was super easy to make and very flavorful, we all enjoyed it thank you!
Christina Jolam
Thanks, Kate! So great to hear it. It's one of our faves over here, too. Appreciate you coming back to leave a helpful review.