I’ve been on a seafood kick lately. I served Smoked Catfish dip at the James Beard House. I made some delicious smoked trout, I’ve cooked salmon several ways (here, here, here, and here.) Today, I want to talk about another favorite fish of mine, black cod. Black cod is not really even cod, it’s a sablefish (aka butterfish.) It is a white fish with a high-fat content, which gives it a buttery, moist texture. Most importantly, it’s listed as a “best choice” for sustainability from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. The recipe for Grilled Black Cod with Ginger Soy Broth is a take-off on “Hong Kong-style” fish recipes. In those recipes, soy sauce is combined with sherry, water, and sugar to make a flavorful broth that surrounds the fish. The ginger-soy broth in this recipe has more of a full flavor with the ginger, sambal oelek, and chicken broth. Paired with udon noodles and sauteed spinach, the grilled cod is a show stopper piece of fish.

Preparing and prepping the Ginger Soy Broth

If you want to prep the ginger-soy broth, the spinach or the udon noodles ahead, feel free. All of those items will keep in the fridge a couple of days. After the udon is cooked, toss with sesame oil to keep from sticking. Other than that, the dish is pretty simple to make. Cook the spinach down with sesame oil, and simply put the broth ingredients in a small stockpot, bring to a boil then simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Grilling the Black Cod

You’ll need 4 to 6 oz filets of black cod. You can go slightly larger if you want, but black cod is rich and filling. I seasoned the cod with my Lucky 7 seasoning, which is lightly flavored with some citrus overtones. If you don’t have that, simply use your favorite fish seasoning. Prepare a grill to run medium hot with a cool zone. Make sure you oil the grates before grilling the fish, as it is delicate. Remove the fish when it hits 143 degrees internal temp. The residual thermal heat will take the filet above 145, the recommended internal temperature for fish.

Putting it all together

To serve, place udon noodles in a bowl and top with sauteed spinach. Set the grilled cod on the spinach then pour ginger-soy broth around it. Grilled cod makes a super special meal when you’re entertaining, or a nice meal for the family. Feel free to substitute other white fish, such as grouper as well. This is sooo delish!

As always, I hope you enjoy!