The first time I had miso-glazed cod was actually in London at Nobu many years ago. It’s one of their signature dishes, though I didn’t know that at the time, and it stuck with me.

Protein and omega 3 fatty acids have a lot of benefits for breastfeeding mothers and their babies, including helping with a baby’s brain development and helping with postpartum depression (in the mother). Cod is high in protein and while it doesn’t have as much omega 3 as salmon, it does have some. One of our healthcare providers suggested fish as a good food for breastfeeding, and I’ve been meaning to try to make the miso cod anyway. Plus miso is nice to have on hand for a warm, quick snack.

There are a lot of recipes online for how to recreate Nobu’s cod. Some relatively complex, calling for sake, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, etc… and others as simple as spreading miso on the fish. We didn’t have any sake, but did have some champagne left over that a friend brought so I decided to use that. Plus it was New Year’s Eve, so appropriate. In retrospect, sugar and a little more liquid would have made the marinade more like a glaze, but it was still really tasty.

The ginger and the scallions were for the rice. I just chopped off about an inch of ginger and put it in with the rice as it cooked, then topped with scallions.

Here’s what I did for the fish:

fillets of cod – enough for two (ask your fishmonger)
champagne, sake, or some kind of white wine
miso paste (I used white)

1. Put a couple of tablespoons of miso in a bowl, and thin with the wine until it will easily coat the fish.
2. Put the fish in the bowl, cover it with the marinade, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Put a heavy pan or baking dish in the oven on the top rack and turn on the broiler.
4. When the pan is hot, add the fish (I scraped some of the extra miso off first). Broil each side for 3-4 minutes and serve.

If you’re going to make white rice, you can start it when you put the fish in the fridge. Start brown rice about 30 minutes earlier. While you’re waiting for the fish to marinade, you can cook some kind of green. I boiled broccoli, which was nice because I didn’t have to watch it much.

I foiled the pan because it’s not mine and I didn’t want to “fish it up,” but that’s not necessary. If your fish has the skin on, leave it – it’s great for you. If you time everything carefully, everything will be done with the fish and you can serve it immediately.

And Happy New Year!