Miso Cod Remix

Joel Hammond

When your restaurant’s stated mission is “nontraditional Japanese cuisine,” you have a clear invitation to color outside the lines in menu development. At Uchi West Hollywood, the San Francisco Black Cod, a simple, fun spin on a classic miso cod, is right on brand. “You can get a great feel for the flavor of Uchi and our approach through this dish,” says Joel Hammond, chef de cuisine.

The first departure is found in the name of the dish, which actually features a Bay Area fish scientifically known as the sablefish and not at all related to the cod species. Known for its mildly sweet taste and buttery texture, the black cod is marinated in fish sauce caramel with fresh ginger and garlic oroshi (grated daikon radish). While broiled under high heat, the fish gets basted with more of the caramel and is finished with a torch for a light char. “This gives it the familiar texture and char of traditional miso cod, but with our own Uchi twist,” says Hammond. It’s topped with a chimichurri sauce infused with jeow som (a Lao sweet-and-sour sauce) plus a complementary red pepper emulsion. “It looks spicy, but it is mostly sweet, tangy and full of umami.”

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