Some people might think I’m crazy for coming back from Newfoundland in April with a suitcase 2/3rds full of fish instead of, say, clothes. Some people might say I’m crazy for going to Newfoundland in April in the first place (land of RDF, after all – rain, drizzle and fog). But I figured I didn’t need much suitcase space since I could get through a week in Newfoundland in a few pairs of pants, a couple of shirts, and regularly washed undergarments. Actually, the only other thing I brought back was a bottle of very good rum for a friend. Besides the 10 lbs of fish, I mean.
Yup, 10 lbs. Turbot, char, and halibut – all of it flash-frozen after being caught wild off the Labrador coast, shipped to Newfoundland, and then loaded into an insulated, airplane safe styrofoam container and then into my suitcase. It fit. Miraculously.
But when fish tastes this good (real flavour! Nothing like farmed char or “sitting-on-ice-too-long” turbot) and the turbot costs $10 less per pound than the equivalent-tasting black cod from Alaska (Alaska vs. Labrador, so carbon footprints are going to hurt either way), it’s worth it.
And what did I do with my turbot? Well, in Montreal I sold 6 lbs of it to fish-loving friends, and kept the rest for myself for a rainy day. But in Newfoundland I roasted as much as I could get from the Fish Depot on Duckworth Street with miso, sugar, and sake.
The recipe is very well known. It was championed by Nobu Matsuhisa, the man behind the famous chain of restaurants that my brother loves so much. It’s a simple marinade that’s supposed to involve mirin, but I didn’t have a gluten-free version of that, so I doubled the sake. I am not an alcoholic. the alcohol cooks off, and I wanted more of the wine-flavoured sweetness that’s sort of similar to mirin. It’s also supposed to just be a marinade, not a sauce, but I didn’t have 30 minutes, or 8 hours (overnight) to marinate the fish, so I just stuck the excess marinade in a pot and re-boiled it for about 5 minutes to make sure I’d get enough flavour onto the turbot when I served it.
And flavour I got.
I adapted Nobu’s recipe from here.
6 tablespoons sake
1/2 cup white (or other) miso paste
1/3 cup sugar (or neutral-flavoured honey, such as clover honey)
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for grilling
2 lbs (or more if you can find it. This makes a ton of marinade) skinless black cod fillets, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut them into smaller portions if you don’t have a skillet or grill pan large enough to fit them.I left the skin on, but it’s much better with it off since the skin is so slime-y. You can suck the sauce off of it, though, and it falls from the flesh easily at least.
Note: Get the fishmonger to skin it for you because it’s a really oily, delicate, slippery fish and therefore difficult to skin (unless you are my friend who used to work at Langdon Hal and Au Pied de Cochon, in which case you are an oily fish-skinning pro and I am ever humbled). Ask to keep the skin, though, as you can and should broil it for a tasty snack to dip in soy sauce…
Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the sake to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. Add the fish and turn to coat. The marinade has to be cool or it’ll cook the fish and possibly also help bacteria grow, both of which are bad. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Or not.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a grill pan or large skillet (work in batches if you have to) and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky. Boil the marinade for at least 5 minutes again if you want to serve it as a sauce and not waste it. Highly recommended. Transfer to plates and serve with white rice and extra sauce on the side. It’s SO salty thanks to the miso, so don’t go overboard. In the photos it’s served with roasted fennel and zucchini as well.
Miso wild Labrador turbot with rice and roasted zucchini
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