Shio Koji Marinated Black Cod

Shio Koji Black Cod + Spinach + Yuzu Butter & Red Caviar Sauce

From Guest Chef David LaForce:

Koji is made by fermenting a mixture of grain koji, salt and water. This creates a soup with a sweet, funky aroma. Shio koji is the decanted liquid in this process. It belongs in the same family as miso and soy sauce. And what I learned is that you can't talk about Asian cooking without talking about koji. It can be used as a marinade to both tenderize and flavor proteins or as part of a sauce. My absolute favorite way to have this is with black cod. The rich buttery-flavor of the fish pairs perfectly with the slightly sweet umami bomb that is the shio koji. I don't know if it's magic, but it's certainly part of my "secret ingredient" stash.

"I took four 6 oz black cod filets from @thepopsiefishco and in a non-reactive dish, marinated them in 680g of shio koji liquid. What you are looking for is a 2:1 ratio of fish to liquid by weight. This was marinated overnight. You can cook this multiple ways either in a 450° oven for around 10 minutes. But my preferred method is sous vide. I cooked this using my @anovaculinary circulator at 167° for 15 minutes. Once cooked, I used a kitchen torch to lightly caramelize the outside. For the sauce, I melted 2 sticks of butter with 2 grated garlic cloves. Once melted I removed from the heat and added 1 Tbsp of yuzu juice. You can add more if you want a bigger citrus punch. Before plating I tasted for seasoning and added chives and caviar."

Shio Koji Marinated Black Cod

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Directions

Cod

• In a non-reactive dish or bowl, add the Shio Koji. The amounts are intended to be a 2:1 ratio of fish to liquid by weight so adjust accordingly. Add fish and marinade overnight.

You can cook multiple ways but these are my two favorite methods:

1. Sous Vide – Set your circulator to 167° and cook the fish for 15 minutes. Add a little olive oil to the bag before cooking to ensure the fish is easy to remove. Once cooked, use a kitchen torch to lightly caramelize the outside.

2. Oven – Preheat oven to 450°. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the black cod Fillets skin side down. Bake for around 10 minutes. The exact time depends on the size of your filet.

Spinach

1. Rinse spinach well under cold water to clean. Dry well.

2. In a large sauté pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic for one minute. Do not brown or it will turn bitter.

3. Add spinach and cook until the spinach has fully wilted.

4. Season with salt & pepper along with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Yuzu Butter Sauce

1. In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter completely. Add garlic clove and allow to cook for one minute.

2. Remove from heat and add yuzu juice. Taste for seasoning.

3. Keep warm until serving.

4. Before plating add chopped chives and salmon roe for an extra wow-inducing presentation.