When we asked Chef Matsuhisa if he was at all bothered that pretty much every high-end Japanese restaurant copies his famous dish, he just shrugged and said he took it as a compliment. The fact remains though, he’s the one who made it famous and it’s still nearly always the best thing on the menu at Japanese restaurants, even the ones that aren’t Nobu. Now there are only six ingredients and six steps to making it, but you’ll need a bit of patience.
Ingredients
· 500g cod fish
· 1 bamboo leaf
· 1 lemon
· 2 hajikami ginger sticks
(For the Saikyo Miso)
· 100ml mirin
· 150g sugar
· 300g white miso paste
Method
* About two days ahead make the saikyo miso: in heavy-based non-reactive saucepan, bring the mirin to the boil, and continue for 2-3 minutes.
* Using a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar until it has dissolved, then slowly mix in the miso paste, little at a time. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly so as not to let the mixture burn, for 10-15 minutes
* Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps, allow to cool and then chill until quite cold.
* Place the fish in a non-reactive container, pour a good splash of the saikyo miso over each fillet and leave to marinate for a day in the refrigerator.
* When cooking the fish, preheat the hot grill or oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the fillets on the grill pan or on a non-stick baking sheet and cook under the grill or in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, turning once if grilling, until cooked through and golden on the outside.
*Place on a serving dish and dress the plate with a bamboo leaf, lemon and hajikamie and saikyo miso.