Misoyaki butterfish is a dish that can be on the pricier side in restaurants but can be inexpensive if you cook it at home. Luckily, it goes on sale regularly at Don Quijote and Times Supermarket. With some advance planning for marinating the fish, you can have a meal that is delicious and surprisingly healthy.
What is misoyaki butterfish?
Misoyaki butterfish is the name of a Japanese dish. Many people think that “butterfish” is a type of fish, but it isn’t at all! If you want to cook “butterfish”, you need to look for sablefish or black cod.
You can find it in grocery stores in steak or filet cuts and they are usually in the freezer seafood section of your grocery store or warehouse store. If you are in Hawaii, it can be found already marinated and ready to cook. However, you have come to the right place for a simple recipe with ingredients you might already have at home!
Don’t feel like you have to go to a restaurant or specialty store to get misoyaki butterfish. Take a chance and try this recipe at home and you will be surprised at how easy it is to make this fancy meal any night of the week!
What is miso?
Miso is a fermented soybean paste. There are different varieties and the most common are red miso and white miso. The red miso paste used in this recipe has a much stronger and saltier flavor compared to white miso paste, which has a sweeter flavor. Using red miso instead of the milder white miso will help you save money over time because they generally cost the same for the same amount in the store.
Besides this dish, you can use miso paste to make soup, like my Quickie Tofu Miso Soup (Only 5 Ingredients), or create a dressing that can double as a dipping sauce.
Sablefish Health Benefits
Sablefish is surprisingly full of omega-3 fats just like salmon and is one of the five seafoods that Better Homes & Fardens magazine says is safe to eat on a regular basis. 6 of the Healthiest Fish to Eat (And 4 to Avoid) (bhg.com). This brain-food is great to have on your regular dinner rotation now that it is cheaper at the grocery stores than salmon!
If you love this recipe, take a look at some of these other seafood recipes to try.
Easy Misoyaki Butterfish (Sablefish)
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 spoon
- 1 plastic zip seal bag
- 1 11" frying pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 lb black cod or sablefish steaks or filets
- ¼ cup red miso paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or sake or other clear liquor (optional)
Instructions
- One to three days before cooking: Defrost sablefish overnight if frozen. (In a pinch, defrost sablefish in microwave with timed defrost setting for 4 to 6 minutes.)
- Eight hours to one day before cooking: Mix red miso, soy sauce, honey, and rice wine (or sake) if using, in a small bowl. Add this marinade mixture to a plastic bag large enough to fit the sablefish.
- Add sablefish to the plastic bag, take out as much air from the bag as possible, and seal. Massage the outside of the bag to spread the marinade over the fish.
- Put plastic bag in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. If you remember, periodically massage the fish in the bag and mix it around to get more of the marinate coating all parts of the fish.
- When ready to cook, heat pan on medium heat. Insert a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
- Scrape off ALL the marinade off the sablefish so the sugar in the marinade does not burn. If you don’t scrape off the marinade, you will have a very burnt-looking fish.
- Add the sablefish to the parchment-lined pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and steamed vegetables. Baby bok choy, choi sum, and green beans are great accompaniments.
