Miso & Honey Glazed Fish

Miso & Honey Glazed Fish.

When I first made this recipe, I immediately thought of my good friend Larry because he likes fish, easy recipes, and recipes with only a few ingredients.

Fish, check. Easy, check. And how about 3 ingredients not counting salt & pepper? Check!

This is a simple but highly flavorful dish. It uses a glaze of honey and Miso, a staple in Japanese cooking that is mostly known in the US as the main ingredient in Miso Soup.

Here’s what you need:

Fish, Miso Paste, Honey, Salt & Pepper.

Click here for a Miso & Honey Glazed Fish Shopping List

Miso is a paste usually made from fermented soybeans. You can find many varieties of miso in your local Asian market and depending on  your neighborhood, likely in your own regular grocery store. Miso is always found in the refrigerated section so look in the produce or cheese sections first but ask if you don’t find it right away.

For this recipe, we want light or white miso. Since miso tends to naturally be a bit salty, I also looked for one that was free of MSG. If you read the label, you can also find miso that is Gluten Free.

On a side note, if you haven’t ever shopped at an Asian market you are seriously missing out on a good time. You can find all sorts of fun things there and usually people are very willing to help if you are unsure of the labeling. Also, the produce in my Asian market is MUCH fresher and MUCH cheaper than at my regular grocery store. When I go there I stock up on everything from baby bok choy to peppers and herbs. You can usually find huge, gorgeous bunches of basil, parsley, and cilantro for only about a dollar.

Okay, back to the recipe…

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. (Be sure your oven is CLEAN or you will smoke yourself and your fish out of the house.)

This recipe is easily expandable. All you need to know is that you need 1 Tablespoon each of Miso and Honey per serving of fish. So for 2 people, I have 2 Tablespoons of miso paste and 2 Tablespoons of honey. Whisk them together in a small bowl until smooth.

You will want a nice firm but flaky fish like cod, halibut, amberjack, or corvina. (I think this would also be good on salmon if you can find fillets a bit on the thick side.) Choose boneless, skinless fish fillets that are about 1 inch thick. This recipe cooks at very high heat very quickly so thin fillets like tilapia and swai are NOT good choices here.

Plan on 6-8 ounces of fish per serving. Cover a sheet pan with foil and lightly season the fish with freshly cracked black pepper. You can add salt if you’d like but to me the miso is salty enough that I don’t add extra.

Spread the miso honey paste liberally over the top and sides of the fish. You can really slather it on.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and slightly charred on the edges.

If your fish is not browning, pop it under the broiler for about 30 seconds. Better to hit it with a little high heat at the very end than over cook the fish.

That’s it! Serve the fish with a green veg like baby bok choy or snow peas and maybe a salad to round out the meal.

The miso & honey glaze make a nice flavorful crust over flaky tender fish.

This recipe is proof that a few good ingredients make dinner a snap. Perfect for a weeknight dinner but fancy enough for company too.

As Larry would say, “Boom! 3 ingredients!”

Here’s the recipe:  Adapted from Alton Brown

Miso & Honey Glazed Fish

PS. Miso keeps practically forever in the refrigerator so don’t worry about having that partially used container. Plus we’ll find some other uses for it down the road.