Miso Saison Glazed Sea Bass

08.21.13

How long has it been? 3 weeks? 4? 5? 6? Let’s just leave it at awhile.

Life at Green Flash Brewing Co. keeps moving forward. It’s exciting to be a part of such a quickly growing company, but that also means there’s more production to plan these days. As if that weren’t already enough, I decided to pursue a second gig as a bartender. I’ve missed customer interaction (crazy, I know) and, well, a little extra money never hurts (hooray for a mortgage). Anyway, a trip to Mexico ensued to get the most out of my last weekend off. I’m sure there’ll be an entire blog post about all of the amazing breweries toured and restaurants visited while in Baja – stay tuned. When I got back, I sent out a few resumes, was called in for a couple of interviews, and somehow found myself as a Beer Server at the newly opened Hess Brewing Co. in North Park. Talk about a life of beer!

And that brings me to today.. a Wednesday night at home on the couch watching Breaking Bad. It’s nice to sit, zone out, and spend some time writing again. There’s a growler of Laurel IPA from Beachwood BBQ in the fridge (pint in hand) and a homemade fig and prosciutto pizza about to come out of the oven. Life, albeit more hectic than usual, is good.

This recipe may very well be the best thing I’ve made all year. It’s light, filling, and packed with umami. Sea bass, in particular, is wonderfully mild fish that lends well to delicate sauces and absorbs marinade like a sponge. Stay away from Chilean Seabass, though, and choose one of its more sustainable breathern. Black Cod is also a great substitute. I recommend serving with cucumber salad and an efferscent saison or midly tart blonde ale.

*Adapted from Nobu Matsuhisa’s Black Cod with Miso.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup saison
• 4 tbsp. tamari
• 3 or 4 ginger slices (optional)
• 1/2 cup light yellow miso
• 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp. ponzu
• 2 tbsp. (packed) brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 6-ounce sea bass fillets (each about 3/4″ thick)

Steps

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the saison and tamari; bring to a simmer. Stir in sesame oil, ponzu, vinegar, ginger, and brown sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add miso. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until rich caramel in color. 
2. Transfer sauce to a shallow baking dish and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Reserve about a third of the sauce in a small dish, cover, and place in the refrigerator for plating later.
4. Pat fish dry and place in baking dish with marinade. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 3 days.
   
5. Pre-heat oven to 400°.
6. Heat an ovenproof pan over and add about 2 tbs. oil. Scrape excess sauce from fish with a chopstick or paper towel. Add fish to pan and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Place in oven and roast until flaky, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, heat oil in pan over medium high heat; add fish and place pan in oven under broiler until medium rare, about 4 to 5 minutes. It’s easy to overcook fish, so I tend to pay close attention during this time.
   
7. Transfer to a plate, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, and serve with pickled cucumber salad and reserved sauce.
   

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