Wild Black Cod: Alaska from Scratch

Our lives revolve around Alaska's oceans and their wild fisheries. Their abundant, sustainable seafood provides our family with nutritious food, fulfilling work, and creative inspiration. Seeing Alaska's seafood prepared so thoughtfully in Maya Wilson's The Alaska from Scratch Cookbook means the world to us as Alaska fishermen. The collection of seafood recipes in this beautiful book is truly a work of art. We hope you get yourself a copy and try out all of the delicious seafood recipes inside. Here's a favorite from the book, because it features one of the the ocean's tastiest offerings - wild black cod, also known as sablefish. We like to prepare it with our locally-caught Salmon Sisters Seafood Sablefish.

 

Black Cod Over Udon With Baby Bok Choy
Maya Wilson, Alaska from Scratch

Black cod is like the pork belly or bone marrow of the ocean, deeply rich and decadent. Because of its unctuous nature, it goes well with this vinegar-forward umami broth and some tender-crisp bok choy. One trick about preparing black cod is that the bones are notoriously difficult to remove; it’s best to attempt to tackle the bones after the fish has been cooked.

Makes 2 servings
 
For the udon:
8 ounces udon noodles
1 cup vegetable broth
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, sliced thickly on the bias

For the black cod:
2 tablespoons hoisin
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 fillets (4–5 ounces each) Alaska black cod
*Purchase Salmon Sisters Seafood wild Alaska black cod here.*

For the bok choy:
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 baby bok choy, sliced in half
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. To make the udon: Prepare the udon noodles according to package direc-
tions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together
the vegetable broth, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Keep the broth warm while completing the other steps.

3. To make the black cod: In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin and sambal oelek. Set aside. In an ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the black cod fillets skin side up and sear for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Carefully turn the fillets. Turn off the heat. Using a spoon, spread the hoisin mixture over the top of each fillet. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the fillets for 5 minutes.

4. To make the bok choy: While the fish is in the oven, in a skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the cut side of the bok choy with the sugar. Place them cut side down into the hot sesame oil. Cover and sear for 2 minutes, or until caramelized. Turn the bok choy over and add 1⁄4 cup water to the pan. Cover and allow the bok choy to steam for 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

5. Debone the fish with fish tweezers or using your fingers.

6. To assemble the dish, divide the cooked udon between 2 bowls. Pour half of the hot broth mixture over each bowl of udon. Top each with a fillet of black cod and 2 halves of bok choy. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.


From "Alaska from Scratch" by Maya Wilson. Copyright ©2018 by Maya Wilson. By permission of Rodale Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Available wherever books are sold.