Nobu Restaurant’s most famous dish is probably “Black Cod”. It’s an incredibly delicious, almost addictive, miso glazed fish. It’s sweet and savoury, sticky and flavourful. The quality of the fish is of course of great importance and since black cod is not readily available at my fishmonger’s, I decided to try my luck with a fat fillet of gorgeous salmon. I’m not claiming this recipe is identical to Nobu’s black cod recipe but it surely tickles my taste buds. This dish is plate licking good!

I used brown miso paste, since white miso is not available at the supermarket. This darkens the fish and gives it an amazing, deep, rich flavour. I served it on a bed of a zesty quinoa salad to soak up the juices, and garnished with crunchy nori leaves. I LOVED the addition of nori leaves. Apart from a nice crunch they add so much flavour and go so well with the pan sauce.

Ingredients for the marinade

• 4 salmon fillets, without skin
• 1 Tbs brown miso paste
• 1/3 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• ½ Tbs soy sauce
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs ginger, grated

For the Quinoa Salad

• 1 ½ cup quinoa
• 1 ½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 nori leaf, toasted (see note)

For the dressing

• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 tsp ginger, grated

Method

Put the salmon fillets in a deep, glass platter. Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the salmon. Turn the fillets a few times to make sure they are covered with the marinade. Leave to marinade for 15 minutes.

Put the quinoa in a pot and add 4 cups of water. Season with salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa is soft but still has a bite. Drain and spread on a baking tray to cool completely.

Mix together all the ingredients for the salad dressing. In a large bowl, mix together the cooled quinoa with the remaining salad ingredients, except the nori leaves.

To cook the salmon fillets put a large frying pan over medium heat. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Take the salmon fillets out of the marinade (keep the marinade) and place skin side up in the pan. Leave to cook for about a minute. Add a splash of water if juices caramelize too quickly. Turn salmon fillets over and cook another minute. Add the marinade and cook for another minute until salmon fillets are cooked but are still pink in the middle. Add more water by the spoonful if pan juices are too thick. Salmon will be blackened and wonderful.

To serve, drizzle the salad dressing on the quinoa salad and mix well. Serve quinoa salad on a plate and top with a salmon fillet. Drizzle with some of the pan juices. Crush the nori leaves with your hands and garnish this wonderful plate of deliciousness.

Note: To toast nori leaves, just hold them with tongs over an open flame on your stove. If you have an electric stove, you can toast them in a hot griddle pan (or a heavy based skillet). The nori leaves become lighter in colour when toasted. Use your hands to crush them into salads. They are delicious.