Black cod is a flaky white fish that simply melts in your mouth with its tender texture. It can have quite a few bones which can be a pain but certainly worth it for the flavor and texture. The sweet and spicy sauce that I paired with the fish is made primarily of hoisin (a Chinese dipping sauce available in many grocery stores) and soy sauce and flavored with scallions, ginger, and a few other ingredients. The recipe comes together in a matter of minutes actually, so for me its just a matter of having all the ingredients on hand, which is a problem I often encounter with any sort of ethnic cooking. I have found though that gradually building a collection of unique, ethnic ingredients, like hoisin and sesame oil has proven to be very rewarding and has allowed me to discover a number of fabulous recipes that I wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh peeled ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 7-ounce Alaskan black cod fillets
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together first 9 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Clean and debone the fish. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a heavy, ovenproof pan (I used a cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Add cod, skin side up and cook for 2 minutes. Flip cod and spoon sauce evenly over the fillets.   Allow to cook for only a minute or so after flipping.

Finish cooking fillets in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is opaque. After they have finished cooking you may want to gently turn the fillets onto their sides to remove the skins or you can serve as is over a bed of brown rice.

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from The KitchWitch