Curing fish improves its texture for cooking sous-vide, and this miso cure also adds flavor. This recipe is often prepared with black cod, a type of fish that is not available here. I prepared it with salmon instead, and it turned out great. An advantage of the technique I used here is that you can use the same bag for marinating as well as cooking the fish. Allow enough time for the cure to penetrate all the way into the salmon, 2 to 3 days.

Cooking the salmon sous-vide at 46C/115F together with the curing will give it a perfect moist and tender texture.

Ingredients

fresh salmon fillet

For the miso cure, enough for up to 1 kg/2 lbs of fish

60 ml (4 Tbsp) sake

60 ml (4 Tbsp) mirin

4 Tbsp white miso paste

3 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

Combine 60 ml sake and 60 ml in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil briefly to burn off the alcohol, then lower the heat.

Add 4 tablespoons white miso.

Stir over very low heat until the miso has dissolved.

Add 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Increase the heat and stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Allow the mixture to cool, first to room temperature and then in the refrigerator until completely chilled. You can speed up the cooling process by putting the saucepan in cold water with ice cubes, making sure no water comes into the saucepan.

Use a ziploc bag and the water displacement method or a chamber vacuum sealer to vacuum seal the salmon with the miso mixture. Refrigerate and allow to cure for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Cook the salmon sous-vide for 30 to 60 minutes at 46C/115F, depending on the thickness.

Take the salmon out of the bag and pat dry with paper towels.

(You could use the miso cure again by bringing it to a boil and reducing it to its original volume, and then chilling and freezing until the next time.)

Use a blow torch to slightly char the salmon and increase the serving temperature.

You could also use a broiler, but that method carries a high risk of overcooking the salmon.

Serve on preheated plates.

Flashback

Tuscan bean soup is a rustic dish with a great flavor.