I know. I have been on quite a seafood kick lately, but it is summer and I love grilled seafood, so bear with me. Beside all the delicious baking my fellow Kitchen Confit bloggers are doing, a little fish in the diet can’t hurt. Whenever I am in the store, I always drop by the fish counter to see what is fresh and what is affordable. Recently, I got a couple of really nice pieces of Sea Bass and had the miso leftover from my Chicken Soba Noodle Soup, so a Miso Glazed Sea Bass was on the menu for dinner.
H and I have been trying to cook enough at night to have leftovers to take for lunch in the morning. It has worked out well so far and it helps us control our portion sizes…well at least a little better than we used to. When I started to look for a recipe, I remember from an episode of Top Chef where the winner used Sea Bass a microwave cooking challenge, so I hoped it would work out well for me too.
Of course, as usual, I did not start to look for a recipe until I started to cook. Once I found one, I realized we did not have any sake in the house. So back to google to quickly look for a substitute for sake. A lot of the suggestions indicated rice vinegar would work, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
I was not sure how long to let it marinade, so I decided to let it sit while I washed and cooked some short grain white rice. It ended up being about 45 minutes. After letting the Sea Bass rest in the marinade for 45 minutes, it was ready for a quick trip under the broiler. I know I started out tempting you with thoughts of flame grilled fish, but of course, by the time JC was in bed, I found a recipe, realized I did not have sake, found a decent substitute, and started to cook, it was raining outside…so no grilled sea bass tonight. I placed the pieces into a small pan removing most of the marinade. While the fish broiled, I reduced the marinade in a saucepan until it was about half or so.
I served the sea bass with some green beans and rice. After a delicious dinner, there was plenty leftover for lunch. The next day after a minute in the microwave, it made a great lunch. H can’t wait for me to make it again. The sea bass did in fact reheat in the microwave beautifully.
Miso Glazed Sea Bass
Adapted from Bon Appétit | January 2000 Makes 4 servings
1/3 cup Sake
1/3 cup Mirin
1/3 cup White Miso
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 1/2 pounds Sea Bass Fillets
Mix together the Sake, Mirin, Miso, Brown Sugar, Honey, and Soy Sauce. It works best to use a whisk to make sure the miso is well mixed. Pour the glaze over the sea bass and let it rest for 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat broiler. Remove fish from marinade. Place fish on rimmed baking sheet. With broiler door slightly open, broil fish 6 inches from heat source until just opaque in center, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plates.
While the fish is under the broiler, pour the marinade into a sauce pan, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the marinade until reaches your desired consistency. Drizzle over the fish. Serve with rice and vegetables.
July 18, 2008 at 9:45 am
Seafood in the summer is the way to go. I crave meat, but rarely want to sit down to something hearty when it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. The sea bass looks great, and I like your sake replacement.
July 18, 2008 at 10:31 am
Mmm…That looks so good. I’m not a big fan of sea bass, but love miso and I am willing to try it on anything.
July 18, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’m right there with ya, Jessica!!! Seafood is all I seem to want with an occasional pig or chicken thrown in. This looks so good. I love sea bass. I’ve not done the miso thing, so this is going to be a maiden voyage for us but can’t wait to try it.
Hug the Shoe and JC for me.
Mary
July 19, 2008 at 2:47 am
Summer is definitely the time for seafood, and this looks wonderful 🙂
I replied on my blog (to S) about finding squash/zucchini blossoms, but I’ll tell you here as well: I’m in southern Italy so I get them at farmers’ markets pretty easily when they’re in season. If you see someone with squash/zucchini you may ask them about the flowers; maybe they’re just discarding them without realizing someone might want them? Best of luck, and thanks for stopping by 🙂
July 19, 2008 at 7:10 am
Karen – I was a little nervous about using it, but the rice vinegar really worked out well! Thanks for visiting!
July 20, 2008 at 7:01 am
I simply adore miso glazed fish, this looks so well done and juicy! Thanks for visiting my blog! 🙂
July 20, 2008 at 4:58 pm
hey there, somehow you stumbled into my blog about eating in Nashville. You recommended the Bluebird Cafe which we REALLY wanted to go to, but never made it. Your site looks great, and I will bookmark it and check it often.
thanks!
amy
July 21, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Fish with miso sauce is really good!