Black sea bass is a mild and absolutely delicious local resource. Because of its mildness, black sea bass can take on many different flavor profiles and lends itself well to the ever-changing flavoring ingredients the seasons bring. Gavin Smith is both a recreational fisherman and a private chef working on Martha’s Vineyard and in Falmouth. He has a podcast called Food Minded Fellow which you can find, along with recipes, on his website, foodmindedfellow.com. Smith’s cooking method here can be applied to most fish fillets that are eaten with the skin on. This versatile miso glaze yields enough for two recipes and can be saved in the fridge. Serve this dish with the ginger-scallion sauce over rice, noodles, or vegetables.
Serves 2
• 2 sea bass fillets
• Salt and freshly grated black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (or enough to coat the pan evenly)
• ¼ cup fresh chickpea miso, or another light (not red) miso
• 2 tablespoons high-quality honey
• 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
For the Scallion-Ginger Sauce
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, cleaned, and sliced on a bias
• 2 to 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons neutral oil
• Salt and freshly grated pepper, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the fillets skin side up on a cutting board and lightly score the skin in one direction, using swift gentle strokes – three to four cuts is plenty. This will help prevent the fillet from curling as the skin shrinks in the pan. Be sure to cut through the skin, but be careful to avoid cutting into the flesh if possible.
2. Pat your fillets dry to help crisp the skin. Place the fillets onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, skin side down. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. To make the miso glaze, combine the miso and honey in a small bowl. Add the hot water and stir with a small spatula until the honey is dissolved and the mixture is uniform. Add the tamari and the rice vinegar to the bowl and stir until fully incorporated. Adjust to taste by adding a bit more tamari and/or vinegar, if needed, to achieve a well-rounded, salty, sweet, and tangy glaze. Evenly coat the flesh side of the fillet with some of the glaze.
4. To make the sauce, mix all of the scallions, ginger, soy, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper to taste in a small/medium bowl until combined, then store in the refrigerator.
5. Heat a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed steel (oven-proof) pan over low heat. Heating the pan slowly without oil ensures that the cooking surface is evenly hot. Raise the heat to medium–medium high, then add 1 tablespoon of oil, or enough to coat the bottom of the pan, and let the oil heat up for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
6. When the pan and oil are hot, gently add fillets to the pan skin side down. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle the skin when it is placed in the pan, but not so hot that it burns it. Use a fish spatula to gently press down on the fillets (to prevent curling) for the first few seconds. Small fillets will cook quite quickly, so don’t walk away. After a few short minutes, as the skin begins to crisp and the edges begin to brown, it will be much easier to release the fillet from the pan. Flip the fillets onto the flesh side, and drizzle the tops with a bit of the miso glaze. Place the pan into the oven and bake for just an additional 2 to 4 minutes, as the fish will be mostly cooked from the searing process. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should register 140 degrees Fahrenheit, as with most fish.
7. The fish can be served with either side up, though I prefer to have the crispy skin side visible. The scallion-ginger dressing is a nice bright addition to the deep flavor of the miso glaze.
