This dish is traditionally called kasuzuke and is made with sake lees or kasu, a byproduct of sake brewing. We use miso because it is much easier to find, though you can sometimes find kasu at Japanese grocery stores. To use kasu, substitute for the marinade below a mixture of ½ cup sake lees (kasu), ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons white miso, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari. A nice, fatty salmon fillet (preferably king salmon or Chinook) can fill in for black cod.

Place in a gallon zip-top bag:

Mix together in a bowl until smooth:

Scrape the marinade into the bag, carefully squeeze the air out, and seal it. Gently massage the bag until the fillets are coated with the marinade. Put the bag in a bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the broiler for 10 minutes and place an oven rack as close to the broiler as possible.

Meanwhile, remove the fish from the bag, and wipe off excess marinade with a paper towel. Put the fillets skin side down on a sturdy rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.

Broil until the surface is nicely browned and the fish begins to flake when prodded with a fork, 5 to 6 minutes for 1-inch-thick fillets. Remove from the oven. The broiling causes any pin bones to protrude from the fillets. Remove them. We like to serve the fish with: