Michael Symon’s Spicy Black Cod With Grilled Lime

Black cod, also known as sablefish, is one of the healthiest and most delicious fishes out there. It's mild, sweet, flaky and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Because it's such a mild-flavored fish, it plays well with marinades and sauces.

This version, made with sake, mirin, and miso, results in a pleasantly sweet and savory fish loaded with umami. The longer the fish marinades, the better it will taste, so consider making the marinade a few nights ahead of time when you're already grilling something else. An overnight marinade is good, but when you go for two — or even three — days, the fish is off the charts.

Spicy Black Cod with Grilled Lime

Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup sake

¼ cup mirin

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sriracha

¼ cup white miso paste

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

4 skin-on black cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

2 limes, halved

Directions

Prepare and preheat a charcoal grill for direct cooking.

​Set a small saucepan on the grill. Add the sake, mirin, sugar, and sriracha and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Remove from the grill and whisk in the miso and vinegar. Set aside to cool.

Put the cod in a shallow dish. When the miso mixture has cooled, pour over the cod, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 3 days.

Prepare and preheat a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, with one hot side and one hold (unheated) side.

Remove the cod from the marinade, allowing most of it to drip off. Discard the marinade. Place the fish skin-side down on the hold side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is flaky and completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the limes with salt, place cut-side-down on the hot side of the grill, and cook, without moving, for 5 minutes.

Transfer the fish to a platter, squeeze the limes over the fish, and serve.

Excerpted from Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out. Copyright © 2025 by Michael Symon Photographs copyright © 2025 by Ed Anderson. Published in the United States by CLARKSON POTTER/PUBLISHERS. An imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.