Morimoto’s Black Cod
Gindara Nitsuke
Nitsuke is a Japanese technique of simmering food, especially fish, in a combination of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Gindara is the Japanese name for Black Cod or Sablefish.
Chef Morimoto says, “Simmered doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? It certainly doesn’t entice like the words charred or broiled do. Well, simmering in the Japanese way should get you salivating, because it produces some of my favorite dishes of all. The secret is creating a cooking liquid that highlights the flavor of the main ingredient and strikes the right balance between sweet and salty.”
Morimoto’s Black Cod Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. dashi
- 1/2 c. sake
- 1/2 c. mirin
- 1/4 c. + 2 T. japanese soy sauce
- 1 T. sugar
- 4 coins peeled ginger 1/4″ thick
- 2 black cod fillets (approx. 6 -7 oz. each)
- 1/4 lb. drained medium-firm tofu, cut into squares
Method
Add dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger to a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Add the black cod fillets, skin-side-up, and simmer for approximately 12 minutes, basting the fish often. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillets.
This fish can be cooked from frozen, no need to defrost – the quality and texture of the fish will not be compromised. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
Carefully remove fillets to a plate and set aside. A large spatula works great to keep the fish from breaking apart.
Take a ladle of the liquid and put it in a shallow pan. Heat tofu in the shallow puddle of the liquid on one side only, to keep the top of the tofu white in color for presentation. (Otherwise it will be the same color as the fish).
Meanwhile, raise the heat on the cooking liquid to reduce it slightly, about 8 minutes.
Return the fish to the pot to heat through.
The fish fillet is cooked with its skin and bones. Easily remove the bones after braising. The skin keeps the fillet intact while cooking. It slips off easily after braising. Eating the skin is a matter of preference.
Baby Bok Choy
- baby bok choy
- butter
- toasted sesame oil
- salt and pepper
Slice bok choy in half horizontally. Heat butter in a non-stick pan. Add bok choy cut-side-down. Cook until caramelized. Flip and cook the other side briefly. Season with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
To Serve
- baby bok choy
- scallions, charred
- sansho pepper
- steamed white rice
- orchid garnish (optional)
Arrange caramelized bok choy and charred scallions and tofu in warm shallow bowls. Ladle some cooking liquid and ginger coins into the bowl. Carefully place fish on top, flesh side-up. Add a few dashes of sansho pepper to the tofu. Serve steamed rice on the side.
Notes
I added bok choy to the chef’s original recipe to include a vegetable.
Fans of this JAPANESE Nitsuke Black Cod might want to check out my KOREAN Braised Black Cod recipe here.
This recipe was adapted from Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, by Masaharu Morimoto (Ecco, 2016)