Miso Glazed Halibut with Grilled Baby Bok Choy

This miso glazed halibut is so delicate and buttery in texture, it simply melts in your mouth. 

Recipe overview:

Café and Bar Lurcat in Naples, FL was my favorite restaurant in the area. Sadly this restaurant, like many others, recently closed. My favorite dish was their Miso Sea Bass. It was one of the most delicately prepared and perfectly seasoned piece of fish I have ever eaten. I’ve done my best to recreate this dish, diving head first into the new world of flavor known as Umami. Unfamiliar with umami, don’t worry, most people are. In fact the Urban Dictionary definition sums it up best “A bullshit invited flavor that TV chefs pretend to be able to recognize, but can never define” It’s earthy, savory, salty and creamy all in one. I will take you step by step through the ingredients for this recipe as they may be new to your kitchen as well.

We will pair this dish with baby bok choy. This is a leafy green vegetable that has a mild, yet slight bitter flavor, almost like cabbage. To keep things simple, we’ll be using the same glaze as we will use on the fish.

Bok choy is notorious for trapping grit between its tightly packed stems, but these baby heads are easier to clean than the larger whole bok choy heads. Pretty simple to prepare, using a large knife, cut the bottom thick stem and halve them in full length. Rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

We’ll be keeping up with the asian flavors by combining Sake, miso and Mirin; three ingredients fairly new to my cooking style, but now warmly welcomed. Saké is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice, that has been stripped of its bran and blended with the best quality of water. With selections in the thousands, it’s no wonder some people are as intimidated when ordering Sake as they would be ordering wine.  I’ve done some research on Sake and have learned a thing or two. My biggest tip for you when ordering, ask for it unfiltered and cold. Sometimes the hot Sake that’s brought to you in a restaurant is only heated to mask the unpleasant smell of the low quality drink they’ve just served you. Sounds awesome, right? Well then, I welcome you to read “A Beginners Guide to Sake”. I still use this as my go-to guide and it’s never failed me.

Again, similar to wine, don’t cook with any alcohol you wouldn’t enjoy drinking. I use this rule when incorporating Sake into my dishes. Yes, I am and will continue to recommend drinking alcohol while cooking with it. For this recipe I chose to sip on and cook with “Haku rake sei Tokubetsu Junmai” by the Niizawa Brewerey. https://www.skurnik.com/sku/junmai-daiginjo-sake-hakurakusei-2-2/

I chose a white organic miso paste, which is a traditional Japanese seasoning consisting of fermented soybeans in salt. It is sweet and mellow flavor and adapts well with the Sake. Many selections come readily available in your local market, especially the specialty stores. There are different miso selections as well such as white, yellow and red miso. Some are more heavily salted and spent a longer time in fermentation. I have tried a few and really like the “Miso Master” brand (photo below via web) available at Whole Foods. https://great-eastern-sun.com/product-category/miso-master-miso/

The Mirin we will be using is also a rice wine, like the Sake, but has a much higher sugar content. That is why Sake is drinkable and Mirin is used for cooking purposes only. I use the Eden Foods Mirin, (photo below via web) easily found in Whole Foods as well. https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/eden-foods-mirin-rice-cooking-wine-101-fl-oz-b0019jrin8

For the fish I selected 2 very thick cuts of Halibut. Halibut is very similar to Sea Bass, both fish having natural lightness and mild flavor, but easier to find up north. A Cod filet could work, but will not hold its form while cooking because of its ultra delicate flesh.  Remember when selecting any fresh fish to make sure it’s shiny in color and should smell like the ocean, not fishy.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 (4 ounce) pieces of fresh halibut
• 1/4 cup Mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1/3 cup unfiltered Sake
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound (4 small heads) baby bok choy, rinsed and cut vertically

Instructions

Preparing the glaze:

Using a small sauce pan, add both the Mirin and Sake and bring to a gentle boil over med-high heat. Keep the boil for about 20 seconds, then lower heat, and the miso and sugar. Whisk continuously until sugar has completely dissolved and glaze has thickened, about 2 minutes.

Evenly separate the glaze into two small bowls. Set aside while they cool down to room temperature. When ready, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Preparing the Halibut:

Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat broiler to high heat and lower the oven rack about 5 inches from flame. Drizzle olive oil on a 9 x 13 baking sheet and smooth it over using a paper towel corner to corner.

Place fish on greased baking sheet, season each side with salt and pepper. Brush liberally with glaze mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes. This will let the glaze hold to the fish better while cooking.

After 20 minutes, remove the fish from the refrigerator and transfer directly into the preheated oven. Broil until the glaze has slightly charred, and is fully caramelized. This takes about 3 minutes. Switch the oven settings to bake at 400° and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, until it easily flakes with a fork.

Preparing the Bok Choy:

Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to medium-high heat, and spray with non- stick cooking spray.

Using a clean brush, and the 2nd dish of glaze, generously brush the glaze on the clean and dry bok choy.

Place the bok choy flat part down first and grill for about 3 minutes, flipping once for another 2 minutes.

For serving, use a metal spatula to gently plate the halibut along side the grilled bok choy.

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Miso Glazed Halibut with Grilled Baby Bok Choy

Prep 15 mins

Cook 20 hours

Inactive 45 mins

Total 20 hours, 60 mins

Author Catherine Varitek

Yield 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 (4 ounce pieces) fresh halibut 
• 1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1/3 cup unfiltered sake
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound (4 small heads) baby bok choy, rinsed and cut vertically 

Instructions

Glaze:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring Mirin and Sake to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Keep the boil for about 20 seconds then lower heat and add the miso paste and sugar. Whisk together until sugar has completely dissolved and glaze has thickened. 
3. Separate the in glaze in 2 small bowls and set aside until cooled to room temperature. 

Fish:

1. Rinse the fish under cold water, pat dry with paper towel; season with salt and pepper. 
2. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and smooth over with a paper towel corner to corner. 
3. Place fish on baking sheet, brush liberally with sake mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat over to high broil and lower oven rack about 5 inches from flame. 
5. After 20 minutes, remove the fish from the refrigerator and transfer it directly into the preheated oven. 
6. Broil until the glaze has slightly charred and is caramelized, about 3 minutes. Adjust oven setting to bake and heat to 400* continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes or until fish flakes with fork.

Bok Choy:

1. Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to medium-high heat, and spray with non- stick cooking spray.
2. Using a clean brush, and the 2nd dish of glaze, generously brush the glaze on the clean and dry bok choy.
3. Place the bok choy flat part down first and grill for about 3 minutes, flipping once for another 2 minutes.

              For serving, use a metal spatula to gently plate the halibut along side the grilled bok choy.

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Asian