Savory Stiletto

We all have ‘that’ dish that we tend to fall back on. You know, the one you can whip up in your sleep. The one that when you really want to impress someone, you pull this one out. Mine is a miso marinated sea bass. Not only is this my go to dish when trying to impress someone, it is also my go to dish when I just can’t think of anything else to make.

The first time I had this dish, someone was trying to pull out all the stops to impress me. Let’s just say…it worked! There is nothing hotter than a man in the kitchen actually knowing what he is doing! And after watching the prep for it just once, I managed to make it on my own, just as good if not better! Every time I’ve made this dish since then, which has been about 20 times, it has gotten tastier and more fun to make.  I will say this though; it is MUCH more interesting to make with a second set of hands in the kitchen!

In the last few years, miso has become one of my favorite ingredients, and although they aren’t the most environmentally friendly fish to eat, Chilean sea bass is the yummiest fish out there. No question about it!

Now go heat things up in the kitchen and savory this amazing sea bass with a glass of sauvignon blanc!

Red Miso Marinated Sea Bass

• 2 – 6 oz portion Chilean Sea Bass (it’s super expensive and hard to find, so substitute cod if needed, or if you’re really in a pinch, salmon works too)
• 3 TBS Red Miso
• 3 TBS oil
• 1 TBS ground fresh chili paste (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)
• 1 ½ tsp red curry paste
• 1 ½ tsp red chili paste
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup mirin
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 TBS fresh grated ginger
• Dash of red pepper flakes (if you like it hot)
• Dash of chili oil (if you like it really hot)
• 1 tsp fish sauce

Whisk together the miso, oil, fresh ground chili paste, red curry paste, red chili paste, vinegar, mirin, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, chili oil, and fish sauce. Place the fish in the sauce and let marinade for at least 30 minutes, overnight is really delicious if you have time though!

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the fish skin side down in an ungreased pan. Cover with aluminum foil, poke a tiny hole in the middle of the foil, and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the foil and turn the broiler on.

Keep an eye on the fish at this point, the top will bubble a little bit and the edges will start to turn crispy brown. When you see this, pull it out. Should take about 2-3 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, warm the marinade over a medium heat until it slight bubbles, stirring occasionally. Keep warm until the fish is ready.

Plate the fish, top with some of the marinade, and enjoy!

My thoughts:

This is my go to dish because it is so delicious! I’m pretty sure I could make this every night and not get sick of it. And, it’s perfect in the cold Midwest winters because it warms you up from the heat in the marinade, but it’s also AWESOME in the summer because it is all so light and fresh. I served mine with some asparagus roasted in the oven while the fish was cooking and added some squeeze of lime juice to it, perfect side for the perfect dish. Hopefully this recipe will end up with some of your go to recipes!