Miso-Marinated Black Cod with Furikake Sweet Potato Fries, Nasu Dengaku, and Dragon Tongue Beans

Miso-Marinated Black Cod

Black cod's rich flesh stays succulent under high heat, while a thin coating of miso and honey browns without requiring a separate sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 6-ounce portions black cod (sablefish), pin bones removed
• 1/4 cup gluten-free white miso
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil, for the baking surface

Instructions

1. Whisk the miso, sake, honey, and rice vinegar until smooth. Coat the fish in a shallow nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly oil it.
3. Wipe most of the marinade off the fish, leaving a thin film; discard the used marinade. Arrange the portions skin-side down with space between them.
4. Roast for 10–14 minutes, depending on thickness. Broil about 6 inches from the heat for 1–3 minutes to deepen the golden surface, watching constantly.
5. Check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer and continue cooking as needed to reach 145°F. The flesh should separate into moist, large flakes. Rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Do not salt separately: the miso supplies the seasoning. If the surface colors before the center is cooked, loosely shield it with foil and finish on a lower oven rack.

Sweet Potato Fries with Sesame-Nori Furikake

A hot oven and uncrowded pans brown the thin sweet potato batons; sesame and nori add savory crunch without masking their sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1/2 sheet toasted nori, finely snipped or crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the sweet potatoes into batons about 1/4–3/8 inch thick, keeping their thickness reasonably uniform.
2. Dry thoroughly, then toss with the avocado oil and salt. Spread across two rimmed baking sheets in a single layer, leaving gaps.
3. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning after 20 minutes and rotating the pans, until browned at the edges and tender inside. Remove thinner pieces early if necessary.
4. Mix the sesame seeds and nori. Scatter over the hot fries immediately before serving and adjust the salt.

Notes

• These are browned, tender oven fries rather than brittle deep-fried fries. Crowding the pans makes them steam.

Miso-Glazed Takeout Eggplant — Nasu Dengaku

Already-soft eggplant needs only gentle reheating and a brief broil to develop a glossy, caramelized miso coating.

Ingredients

• 1 pound refrigerated cooked takeout eggplant
• 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free white miso
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Drain or gently scrape away excess takeout sauce, leaving the eggplant intact. Arrange in a shallow broiler-safe baking dish.
2. Mix the miso, honey, rice vinegar, and water into a brushable glaze. Taste a piece of eggplant; if it is already strongly seasoned, use only a thin coating of glaze.
3. Cover the dish and reheat at 425°F for 10–15 minutes, until the eggplant reaches 165°F in the center. Add a splash of water if the dish looks dry.
4. Uncover, spoon the glaze over the eggplant, and broil for 1–3 minutes until bubbling and dark at the edges. Watch closely to prevent scorching.

Notes

• For the gluten-free version, use takeout eggplant confirmed free of wheat-containing sauces or batter.
• Starting fresh instead: halve 1 1/4 pounds Japanese eggplant lengthwise, score the flesh, brush with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, and roast cut-side down at 425°F for 25–35 minutes until collapsing. Turn, glaze, and broil.

Black Garlic Miso Butter

Softened butter carries the fermented sweetness of black garlic miso and melts into a light coating on the warm beans.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free black garlic miso, such as Shared Cultures if confirmed gluten-free
• 1/2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Mash the softened butter and black garlic miso together until evenly blended.
2. Beat in the rice vinegar a few drops at a time. Keep cool but spreadable until serving.

Notes

• If black garlic miso is unavailable, mash 2 peeled black garlic cloves with 2 teaspoons gluten-free white miso before blending with the butter.

Tender Dragon Tongue Beans

Brief blanching preserves the beans' juicy bite, while thorough draining lets the miso butter cling instead of becoming watery.

Ingredients

• 1 pound young dragon tongue bean pods
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for 3 quarts blanching water
• 1 batch Black Garlic Miso Butter, prepared separately

Instructions

1. Trim the stem ends and pull away any strings. Leave small pods whole; halve very long ones crosswise.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water and the salt to a boil. Add the beans and cook for 4–7 minutes, until tender with a slight bite; test a pod rather than relying on its color.
3. Drain thoroughly and let steam-dry for 30 seconds. Toss with half the miso butter off heat, then transfer to a warm serving dish.
4. Top with small dollops of the remaining butter and serve immediately.

Notes

• The purple streaks usually fade during cooking, leaving the pods pale yellow-green. Use tender edible pods, not mature beans intended for shelling.

Overall Timing / Workflow

The fries need the longest oven time; fish and eggplant can cook toward the end, with the beans finished just before plating.

Instructions

1. The day before: mix the fish marinade, coat the cod, and refrigerate.
2. 0:00 — Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut and season the sweet potatoes; put them in to roast once the oven is hot.
3. 0:15 — Make the sesame-nori topping, miso butter, and eggplant glaze. Trim the beans and bring their blanching water to a boil.
4. 0:25 — Turn and rotate the fries. Start reheating the eggplant and roasting the fish, using separate small dishes on the second rack. Allow extra time if a crowded oven slows browning.
5. 0:35 — Check the fries and fish. Blanch the beans while the fish finishes. Keep cooked fries uncovered in a warm spot.
6. Once the fish is nearly cooked and the eggplant is hot, switch to broil and brown each dish in turn. Remove the fries before broiling.
7. Toss the drained beans with butter, season the fries with furikake, and plate everything while hot.

Notes

• If the oven cannot accommodate everything, roast the fries first, then cook the fish and eggplant. Re-crisp the fries at 425°F for 3–5 minutes before adding furikake.

Plating

Keeping the four components distinct preserves the fries' edges and lets the two miso preparations taste separate rather than muddled.

Instructions

1. Place one cod portion on each warmed plate with its golden surface facing up.
2. Arrange a compact portion of glazed eggplant beside it and a loose bundle of beans between the vegetables and fish.
3. Pile the furikake fries along the remaining edge, away from pooled eggplant sauce.
4. Leave a small dollop of black garlic miso butter visible on the warm beans.

Leftover Path

Separate storage protects the fries from moisture and allows the delicate fish to be reheated more gently than the vegetables.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate leftovers in separate shallow airtight containers within 2 hours. Use the cod within 2 days and the fries and freshly cooked beans within 3–4 days.
2. Count the eggplant's storage time from its original takeout preparation, not from this reheating. Use within 3–4 days of that original preparation.
3. Reheat cod covered at 275°F with a teaspoon of water until it reaches 165°F, or flake it cold over a simple cucumber salad.
4. Re-crisp fries at 425°F for 5–10 minutes. Warm beans and eggplant separately, covered, until hot throughout; avoid repeatedly reheating the whole batch.