overhead of cod in a skillet surrounded with charred snap peas

This recipe should seriously come with a warning. Because you WILL lick your plate. Unabashedly, with no remorse, and with absolute conviction. The sauce is what the rivers in heaven must be filled with — buttery, umami flavor. Fresh cod goes for a swim, and comes out the other side RIDICULOUSLY amazing. I mean, seriously, this dish is what dreams are made of.

It’s a riff on a VERY famous dish at Nobu, but for 1/16 the cost. Who says you can’t get restaurant food at home? Well, cook them this dish and they’ll promptly change their tune!

But, remember, I did warn you…….it’s addicting.

One rule….be sure to use the freshest cod available. No frozen cod for this dish. I tested with both, and the frozen, while still tasty, seriously couldn’t compare to the fresh.

Ingredients

2 skinless center-cut (thick) fillets of cod (8 ounces) (if you can't find cod, sea bass is a great substitute)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sake
1/2 pound snap peas, ends trimmed
Spicy Garlic-Miso Butter
1/2 stick (2 ounces) butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons white (shiro) miso
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
2 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
Sides: Sticky rice, basmati rice, or mashed potatoes

Instructions

Make the Spicy Garlic-Miso Butter
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together. I like to use a fork to mash everything and incorporate it all together.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the broiler. If your broiler has settings, set it to low. My oven doesn't have settings, so I put the rack closer to the bottom, because my broiler runs REALLY hot.
Season fish generously with salt and pepper.
In a cast iron skillet, or oven proof skillet, combine the miso butter, brown sugar, sake and 1/2 tablespoon of water. Heat over medium heat, stirring to incorporate, until the mixture starts to bubble.
Gently place the fish in the skillet and cook until the bottom 1/2 inch of the fish is opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish. Be sure to thoroughly coat each fillet. Add the snap peas to the pan, scatter them evenly among the fillets. Place under the broiler and broil until the tops of the fillets and peas are caramelized. If they start to char, even better, because this adds extra flavor. This should take about 4-8 minutes. If the fish and peas start getting to charred too quickly, turn down the broiler to a lower setting, or move the rack to a lower position in your oven.
Remove pan from oven, using a spatula, gently remove each fillet to a plate. Add some peas and generously spoon the sauce over the fillets.
You will probably want something else to soak up the sauce — rice, bread, or mashed potatoes would all be great vehicles for getting the sauce into your belly!!

Have you made this recipe?I’d love to know! Leave a comment or recipe rating and tag me @amenuforyou on social media!

2 Comments

Zack says:

June 13, 2024 at 12:01 pm

This recipe is my new favorite fish dish!
The detailed recipe made making this dish easy and I plan to use this to impress anyone that joins for dinner!

1. Lisa says:
  
  June 15, 2024 at 1:58 pm
  
  YAY!! This makes me so happy!!! Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment!

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Miso-Butter Cod with Snap Peas