Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass
Sweet and savory flavors infuse our Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass. This delicate sea bass gets exquisite flavor from being coated in a simple 4 ingredient marinade for 24 hours. Whether it's grilled, baked, broiled, or pan seared & baked, it turns out beautifully every time.
Inspired by the popular black cod with miso at the famous Japanese restaurant, Nobu, this impressive melt in your mouth Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is surprisingly easy to make. Although this recipe can certainly be made with cod, we prefer the sweet flavor and firm texture of Chilean sea bass. It’s a great make ahead recipe for entertaining, too! Read more about this recipe in our Blog Comments & Tips below.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
MISO GLAZED CHILEAN SEA BASS
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and slice ginger (optional), and set aside. Measure out all your marinade ingredients; miso, brown sugar, sake, and mirin. If using, measure sesame oil (optional), and set each ingredient aside.
- In a small saucepan (1.5 quart), add sake, mirin, and sliced ginger (optional). Turn on medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and boil for only 15 seconds to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Immediately turn down to low heat, and add miso, brown sugar, and sesame oil (optional - see Note #1), whisking the mixture continuously until ingredients are completely combined. As soon as the miso paste and sugar have completely dissolved, remove pan from the heat and cool. Remove and discard ginger pieces. If using the marinade right away, transfer to a small measuring cup to cool completely (it needs to be at room temperature before adding to the fish). If making ahead, pour the cooled marinade directly from the pan into a small airtight glass container with lid (about 11 ounces), and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Using paper towels, pat dry Chilean sea bass, and cut into 4 equal sized pieces (about 6 ounces each - see Note #2).
- Add the fish to a large airtight glass container with a lid (about 120 ounces). Pour the room temperature marinade directly over the fish. Using your hands (see Note #3), gently coat the fish well in the marinade. Cover the container tightly, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- About 15 minutes prior to cooking the fish, remove the container from the refrigerator. Gently remove excess marinade from each piece of fish (leaving only a thin layer of marinade), and transfer fish onto a clean plate. Tent loosely with plastic wrap, and allow the fish to rest about 15 minutes (it should not be cold when putting it on the grill). Discard the marinade in the container.
- Grilling (preferred method - for other cooking methods see Note #4): Clean and prepare the grill on medium heat (to medium-high based on your grill). Once the grill is hot, place fish on hot grill, and cook with the lid closed for about 2-4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness - See Note #5). Transfer grilled fish to another clean plate, and loosely cover with foil (about 5 minutes) while you prepare the sesame seed optional garnish, and plate your other side dishes.
- While the fish is resting, toast the sesame seeds for the optional garnish. Heat a small nonstick omelet pan (8 Inch) on medium heat. Once hot, add white and black sesame seeds to the dry pan, and toast by frequently shaking the pan back and forth on your stovetop to toss around the seeds. Toast until fragrant and the white seeds just start to turn light golden brown (about 1 minute or so). Remove pan from heat, and immediately transfer seeds to a plate, and allow to cool.
- Plate fish, and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over Chilean sea bass. Serve with our Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and our Coconut Forbidden Rice for a delicious meal!
Notes
- If you want a more traditional and delicate miso glaze, then omit both the ginger and the sesame oil from this recipe. It has a wonderful flavor on its own. For more details and variations, see the Notes in each step of the Step by Step Instructions on our website.
- If you make the marinade ahead of time, be sure to remove the marinade from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before you coat the fish. Can’t find Chilean sea bass? You can use black cod instead!
- We like using protective gloves for coating the fish in the marinade.
- This fish can be grilled, baked broiled, or pan seared & baked. This recipe card only provides instructions for grilling. For baking, broiling or pan seared & baked cooking instructions, see “Step 1 - Cooking Method Options” in the Cooking section of our Step by Step Instructions for this recipe on our website.
- Check the fish after 2 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning or overcooked. Make sure there are golden brown grill marks, then use a large spatula to carefully flip the fish (be very gentle, or it will fall apart). Keep in mind that the fish will continue to cook a bit, even after you remove it from the grill. The internal temperature should reach between 135-145°F when it’s finished cooking on the grill, and should NOT be translucent when the fish is flaked. Its temperature will continue to rise a few degrees even when resting. If you are afraid of flipping and breaking the fish, try this grill basket for easy turning!
- Makes 4 servings (6 ounces each).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
393.12Fat (grams)
23.11Sat. Fat (grams)
4.97Carbs (grams)
20.75Fiber (grams)
1.2Net carbs
19.58Sugar (grams)
13.29Protein (grams)
22.24Sodium (milligrams)
840.53Cholesterol (grams)
74.84Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Sesame oil is optional and has been excluded from the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Note: The fish is not shown in this photo, but you can use either Chilean sea bass or black cod for this recipe, Ginger is optional in this recipe. Additional information about this ingredient is included in the Step by Step Instructions below.
Marinade
STEP 1a
(Ginger is optional, see Note A below.) Peel (see Note B below) and cut 3 thin slices of fresh organic ginger (about 1 teaspoon), and set aside.
Note A: If you want a more traditional and delicate miso glaze, then omit the ginger from this recipe. The base recipe has a wonderful flavor on its own. If you love ginger, we definitely recommend adding this ingredient as it adds a lovely spicy and almost floral element to the marinade. The flavor of the marinade can be adjusted whether you prefer a mellow or strong flavor of ginger. See the Pimp Our Recipe section in our Blog Comments & Tips below for more ideas!
Note B: It’s best to use the edge of a spoon to peel the ginger, as a knife or peel would cut away too much of the ginger root.
STEP 1b
Measure out all your marinade ingredients: ¼ cup white miso paste, 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or light), ¼ cup unfiltered sake (Sake Nigori Mild), and ¼ cup mirin (rice cooking wine), and set each ingredient aside.
Note: See the Pimp Our Recipe section in our Blog Comments & Tips below for more variations!
STEP 2a
In a small saucepan (1.5 quart), add sake, mirin, and sliced ginger (if using). Turn on medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and boil for only 15 seconds to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Immediately turn down to low heat, and add white miso paste and brown sugar, whisking the mixture continuously until ingredients are completely combined. As soon as the miso paste and sugar have completely dissolved, remove pan from the heat and cool. Remove and discard ginger pieces.
Note: For Make Ahead Instructions, see Step 2b below.
STEP 2b
Transfer marinade to a small measuring cup to cool completely (it needs to be at room temperature before adding to the fish - see details below).
Make Ahead Instructions: Pour the cooled marinade directly from the pan into a small airtight glass container with lid (about 11 ounces), and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Be sure to remove the marinade from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before you coat the fish.
STEP 3
Using paper towels, pat dry 1 ½ pounds skinless Chilean sea bass (see Note below), and cut into 4 equal sized pieces (about 6 ounces each).
Note: Can’t find Chilean sea bass? You can use black cod instead!
STEP 4
Add the fish to a large airtight glass container with a lid (about 120 ounces). Pour the room temperature marinade directly over the fish. Using your hands (see Note below), gently bathe the fish in the marinade so it’s well coated. Cover the container tightly, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Note: To protect our hands from smelling like fish, we like using protective gloves for coating the fish in the marinade.
STEP 5
About 15 minutes prior to cooking the fish, remove the container from the refrigerator. Using your hands, carefully wipe off excess marinade from each piece of fish (leaving only a thin layer of marinade on the fish), and transfer fish onto a clean plate. Tent loosely with plastic wrap, and allow the fish to rest about 15 minutes (so it’s not too cold when putting it on the grill). Discard the marinade in the container.
Note: Sorry, no photos available for this step. However, you can watch our How to Video below for details on how we coated fish.
Cooking
STEP 1 - Cooking Method Options
Grilling (preferred method - photos below): Clean and prepare the grill on medium heat (to medium-high based on your grill). Once the grill is hot, place fish on hot grill, and cook with the lid closed for about 2-4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness - See Note below). Transfer grilled fish to another clean plate, and loosely cover with foil (about 5 minutes) while you prepare the sesame seed garnish, and plate your other side dishes.
Note: Check the fish after 2 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning, or overcooked. Make sure there are golden brown grill marks, then use a large spatula to carefully flip the fish (be very gentle, or it will fall apart). Keep in mind that the fish will continue to cook a bit, even after you remove it from the grill. The internal temperature should reach between 135°-145°F when it’s finished cooking on the grill, and should NOT be translucent when the fish is flaked. Its temperature will continue to rise a few degrees even when resting. If you are afraid of flipping and breaking the fish, try this grill basket for easy turning! If you want to know more about “how long should you cook sea bass?,” see the Tips section in our Blog Comments & Tips below for more details!
Baking: This no-fuss method is a great way of cooking this fish. Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet pan with cooking spray. Place the rested fish fillets (make sure they are not touching) directly on the prepared pan, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes (no need to turn them). Remove from the oven, loosely tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
Oven Broiling: Another wonderful way of cooking this fish. Place oven rack about 8 inches away from broiler (so the top of the fish will be 6 inches away from heat source), and preheat oven broiler to 500°F. Spray a baking sheet pan with cooking spray. Place the rested fish fillets (make sure they are not touching) directly on the prepared pan. Broil for 3 - 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your fish), staying close to the oven to keep an eye on the fish. You want it to have some charred bits on the fish, but careful to not let it burn. Remove from the oven, loosely tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
Pan Searing & Baking (photos below): This method is a bit more complicated, but we love the caramelization it gives the fish. Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 400°F. Add about 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable (or grapeseed oil) to a large oven proof nonstick frying pan (12 inch) , and heat on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, carefully add the rested fish fillets to the hot pan (make sure they are not touching), and without moving them, let them sear for about 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown (with some darker brown areas), and flip them over to sear for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer hot pan to the preheated oven, and bake for about 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish). Remove from the oven, loosely tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
STEP 2 - Optional Garnish
While the fish is resting, toast the sesame seeds. Heat a small nonstick omelet pan (8 Inch) on medium heat. Once hot, add ½ tablespoon white sesame seeds, and ½ tablespoon black sesame seeds to the dry pan, and toast by frequently shaking the pan back and forth on your stovetop to toss around the seeds. Toast until fragrant and the white seeds just start to turn light golden brown (about 1 minute or so). Remove pan from heat, and immediately transfer seeds to a plate, and allow to cool.
Toaster Oven Method: Preheat toaster oven to 350°F. Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil, and add 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds, and 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds. Spread them out, and bake until fragrant (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from oven, and let cool for a minute or two.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Plate fish, and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over Chilean sea bass. Serve with our Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and our Coconut Forbidden Rice for a delicious meal!
Notes:
Miso marinade and toasted sesame seeds can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
Makes 4 servings (6 ounces each).
VIDEO
How to Make Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass 4 Ways!
Blog Comments & Tips
Sea Bass that is Melt in Your Mouth Moist!
Chilean sea bass has to be my favorite fish of all time! It’s thick, moist, and so clean tasting that it pairs beautifully with almost any marinade or sauce. Our Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is a lovely way to prepare Chilean sea bass.
We know that this type of fish can be very expensive, so feel free to make it with another type of fish. Black cod works very well. This recipe was actually inspired by the black cod with miso from Nobu Restaurant. It’s my understanding that Nobu Restaurant marinates their fish for 2 to 3 days. As a consumer, we don’t have access to fish that is quite as fresh as sushi grade. So, we don’t recommend marinating for that long at home.
You will not be disappointed with this melt in your mouth Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass. The marinade can be made ahead of time (about 1 to 2 days), then you thoroughly coat the Chilean sea bass in the simple 4 ingredient marinade for 24 hours. The marinating process penetrates the fish, giving it an exquisite and delicate flavor, and tenderizing it even further.
We made this surprisingly easy recipe 4 different ways. And although our main photos depict the pan seared & baked cooking method for this recipe, we much prefer grilling this fish for multiple reasons. Grilling is much easier and less clean up for the home cook, plus it’s considered a slightly healthier, clean eating method with no additional oil. I must admit, I loved that my kitchen didn’t have that fried oil odor because we cooked it on the outdoor grill! Just check out STEP 1 - Cooking Method Options in our Step by Step Instructions above for details.
Whichever method you choose to cook this beautiful Chilean sea bass, it can be served with our Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and our Coconut Forbidden Rice for the perfect Asian fusion meal.
Now you have the recipe, ingredients, and equipment, but how do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass:
High quality ingredients are key in this recipe. Buy the freshest fish possible, and if using ginger, buy organic.
Use airtight containers (large airtight glass container with a lid (about 120 ounces) to marinate your fish. That will help infusing the fish with the marinade, as well as preserving the odor of your refrigerator.
Make sure your marinade is at room temp before coating the fish.
Let your fish rest before you grill it, and after to allow the moisture to be drawn back into the fish.
It’s very common to have thicker and thinner ends on the same piece of fish. In this recipe, our sea bass had varying thickness between ½ -1 inch on the same piece of fish. So how do you know how long to cook a piece of sea bass? Although the “general rule” for cooking any type of fish used to be 10 minutes per 1 inch of thickness, there is some wiggle room with that formula based on resting time. There is no hard and fast rule about how long to cook sea bass or any other variety of fish, as each one has a different texture and thickness. That said, we find that it’s better to rely on the following:
Temperature: Internal temperature should reach between 135°-145°F when it’s finished cooking on the grill. Immediately transfer sea bass to a plate, loosely cover with foil, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. The temperature will rise a few degrees during the resting period, basically continuing to “cook” the fish.
Appearance: The sea bass should NOT be translucent when the fish is flaked. You can tell by looking at the side of the fish while it’s still on the grill, and it should be opaque.
Feel: Use the side of your spatula or the back of a fork to test the firmness of the fish. When you think it’s done, gently press down on the top center of the sea bass filet to test for doneness. It should feel fairly firm with just a little give.
If it’s hard, then it’s overcooked.
If it feels squishy, or doesn’t bounce back, then it needs a little more time.
If you are not sure what “fairly firm” feels like, test the feel of the raw fish as soon as you put it down on the grill. Then when you test it for doneness after it’s cooked, you’ll be able to tell the difference between raw and cooked fish.
It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Don’t Like Ginger? Just omit the ginger from the recipe.
Want a Stronger Ginger Flavor? If you prefer a strong flavor of ginger, leave the ginger in the marinade so its flavor will penetrate the fish overnight (be forewarned that leaving the ginger in the marinade will likely overpower the delicate miso flavor). If you want it with a really strong ginger flavor, just add a few more slices of ginger to the simmering process of the marinade.
Love the Flavor of Sesame? Dark sesame oil can be added to the marinade, but it is only suggested if you want a unique flavor profile in this miso glaze recipe. Sesame oil has a powerful flavor and will overpower the delicate flavor of white miso. Don’t know which one you will like? We suggest making this recipe without the sesame oil the first time, then trying the variation with sesame oil the next time you make it.
Just add ½ teaspoon sesame oil during Step 2 of the Marinade Section, when you add the miso and brown sugar.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to bring your marinade to room temp prior to coating the fish.
Inspired by Nobu’s famous miso black cod, we used the recipe from thekitchen.com as a base to create our own version. We added a few ingredients, and changed the cooking techniques to make it easy on the home cook.
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