Black Cod

Pro tip: Viva brand paper towels are used at Rintaro specifically for insulating the cod from its salty cure and will absorb moisture without falling apart.

The secret to removing the pin bones from black cod is to wait until after it's been cooked.

I could eat a meal like this almost every night. It's light and fresh, with vegetables and flaky fish poached in a perfumed broth. Five-spice powder is a Chinese spice blend combining equal parts cinnamon, star anise, clove, fennel, and Szechuan peppercorns, and can be found these days in most well-stocked grocery stores. A spa meal without the sacrifice, the chewy udon noodles and bok choy soak up that brothy flavor and round out this quick meal perfectly. Who said eating well was hard work?

Give Swiss chard a flavor boost by adding whole chopped lemon instead of just the juice. Simmering it first softens the texture and bitter undertones. Serve this dish withRed Quinoa with Pistachios.

也被称为鲳或黑鳕鱼(尽管它是not related to codfish), this large cold-water fish lives in the north Pacific Ocean. Its flaky white flesh is flavorful and, yes, buttery, with an omega-3 oil content that rivals that of salmon. Sablefish tastes milder than other fatty fish, but, like them, it can be prepared by high-heat cooking methods such as grilling. Limited supplies and high demand in Japan have driven up the price of sablefish, but it’s a healthful and flavorful splurge. (And it’s an environmentally sound choice.)

Sablefish’s succulent texture and high oil content make it an exceptional choice for steaming. In this recipe, the fish is steamed in parchment-paper packets (en papillote), which seal in moisture and flavor.

This aromatic stew can be made with other types of fish, including haddock or regular cod, but sablefish delivers higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. A whole-wheat baguette is good for sopping up the broth.

Sablefish, also known as black cod, is among the best sources of heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids. Here, the fish is combined with bok choy, which contains antioxidants and fiber. The hoisin mixture, brushed on top of the fish before broiling, is essentially a quick barbecue sauce.

黑鳕鱼,尽管它的名字,不是一个真正的鳕鱼。它s other names—sablefish and butterfish—suit it better: its texture is as silky as sable, its flavor as rich as butter. I love the Japanese pairing of black cod and miso, but in this recipe, black cod gets a French treatment, a smothering with hazelnut brown butter. Ask your fishmonger where the black cod is from. It’s overfished in California and Oregon so look for black cod from Alaska, where the commercial fishing is better regulated. Black cod has a single row of bones that is very difficult to remove when the fish is raw. You can ask your fishmonger to remove the bones or cut them out yourself before cooking. Or just cook the fish bones and all; it’s easy to spot them and eat around them.

Also known as sablefish, black cod thrives in the cold waters off the Pacific Coast, from California to Alaska. The fishery is managed sustainably, so many chefs have turned to black cod as a replacement for the more threatened Chilean sea bass. If you have ever had smoked sablefish in a New York delicatessen, you have eaten black cod. It is an oily fish, rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Chef Bruce Hill, who attended the 1998 Workshop, makes it the centerpiece of this inspired East-West seafood stew, which relies on fregola—a toasty, couscous-like Sardinian pasta—for texture and Japanese miso for flavor depth. Dashi is Japanese stock.

Black cod, a Pacific fish also known as sable, is treasured in Japan (and at elite Japanese restaurants here) for its richness and slightly smoky flavor. With miso it is astonishingly delicious. (Mackerel is not the same but still very good.) Use white (it’s actually beige) miso if you can find it. As is common before cooking many types of fish in Japan, this is salted to firm up the flesh; you can skip this step if you prefer. This is not a super-saucy dish, but well-made short-grain rice (page 507) is still a good accompaniment, as would be any salad.

Shopping for fish can be intimidating. Maybe it’s the fact that half of them are staring at you from behind the counter, as if to say, “Jeez, how did I end up here? “ So, if you’re going to do them—and yourself——justice, here’s how to rustle up a fine, fresh fillet. You need to use your eyes and your nose. Look for a cut where the flesh is moist and glistening, with no flat, brown edges. If the fish looks dull, take a pass. Same goes for any fillet with a fishy or ammonia smell. Don’t be shy about asking your fishmonger a few questions, like when the fish came in and from where. Most stores have regular shipments; knowing that schedule in advance can help you plan when to have fish. If black cod were in a band, it would be the bass player: steady, meaty, but not much of a soloist. It benefits from some jazzy front men and especially likes to swing with citrus high notes. You’ll find plenty of those riffs in this dish.

Beautiful plump fish covered with a butterscotch-colored sauce on a bed of snow-white puree, this is a very subtle dish, in a good way. The ratio of honey to mustard to soy sauce is perfect: you get sweet and salty with a little bite to complement the mild fish. The whipped parsnips are smooth and just rich enough with butter and cream. Bok choy makes a crisp accompaniment.

Black drum is a terrific fish—meaty and satisfying but still delicate. It’s often compared to overfished grouper but is more flavorful and less tough, and its skin cooks up crisp and savory. If you can’t find drum, black cod (sablefish) from Alaska or wild striped bass is a good substitute.

An aromatic broth of garlic, scallions, and ginger infuses the fish and helps keep it incredibly moist.

A staple of classic Japanese cooking, teriyaki is wonderful with not only seafood but also poultry, beef, vegetables, and tofu. Often, however, this versatile sauce can be quite sweet. My version uses fresh orange juice, which adds just a touch of natural sweetness as well as some acidity to temper the sweet mirin. Pouring some of the teriyaki sauce into the hot pan with the fish further reduces it so the sauce really coats the fish with a deep, caramel glaze that enhances the delectable moist, buttery, and tender qualities of black cod perfectly. Other good fish for this dish are Alaskan cod, true cod, sablefish, or wild salmon. Searing each side of the sticky rice cake gives a nutty flavor and crisp texture. I also like to serve these rice cakes with vegetable stir-fries in place of plain rice. If you have a rice cooker, use it to prepare the rice according to the manufacturer's directions. If not, follow the instructions in the recipe to prepare it in a saucepan.

If black cod isn't available, a firm white fish, such as halibut or barramundi, would also work well.

The rich chowder serves as a sauce in this dish. At the restaurant, they use house-smoked king clams andpankoin thepanzanella, which is a modern take on the classic Italian bread salad. If you like, puree equal parts parsley, fennel fronds, and olive oil, then spoon the vibrant green sauce around the fish.