Fish · Tested twice

Miso Butter Roast Cod

Name: Miso Butter Roast Cod
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cod fillets, about 6 oz each, skinless; 3 tablespoons softened butter; 2 tablespoons white miso paste; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 clove garlic, grated; 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger; 2 lemons, halved; 2 scallions, sliced; 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes, optional; Black pepper, to taste; Steamed rice and greens, to serve

White miso and butter mashed together do almost everything here. The miso browns as it roasts, which gives a mild fish a depth it has no business having after twenty-five minutes.

10 minPrep

15 minCook

25 minTotal

4Serves

How it balances

Where this dish sits as written, and what each dial is doing.

SaltMiso carries it — add no salt until tasting

AcidCharred lemon, squeezed at the table

FatButter, melting into the pan juices

HeatA pinch of chili flakes only

Method

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Pat the cod completely dry and set the fillets in a baking dish with a little space between them.
Mash the butter, miso, honey, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste. Taste it — this is where the seasoning of the whole dish lives, and miso brands vary enormously in saltiness.
Spread the miso butter thickly over the tops of the fillets and season with black pepper. Add no salt at this stage.
Set the lemon halves cut-side up in the dish alongside the fish.
Roast 12 to 15 minutes, until the topping is bubbling and browned in places and the fish flakes easily at 145 degrees F.
Rest 2 minutes, scatter with scallions and chili flakes, and serve with the roasted lemon halves for squeezing and the pan butter spooned over rice.

If it tastes flat

Acid. Miso butter is rich and deeply savoury, and the usual instinct is to reach for more salt — which makes it heavy rather than brighter. Squeeze the charred lemon over instead, and if it still sits flat add a teaspoon of rice vinegar to the pan juices.

The bit that matters

Dry the cod properly before the butter goes on. Wet fish releases water into the dish, the miso butter thins into a puddle rather than browning, and you lose the savoury crust that makes this recipe worth cooking.

*Approximately 420 calories per serving. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.