Miso Glazed Cod with Soba Noodles and Greens

Ingredients

• 4 skinless cod fillets (approx. 150g each)
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 300g soba noodles
• 150g baby spinach
• 200g frozen edamame beans, podded
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 40g pickled ginger, to serve
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked, to serve
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
• a pinch of dried chilli flakes, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the miso, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and grated ginger together in a small bowl until smooth and glossy — it should coat the back of a spoon.
2. Pat the cod fillets thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Water means steam, and steam means the glaze slides off instead of lacquering on. Spoon the glaze generously over each fillet and leave to marinate for 10 minutes while you get everything else moving.
3. Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously — it should taste like the sea. Cook the soba for 4–5 minutes until just tender with a little bite, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and wash off the surface starch so they don't clag together. Set aside.
4. Heat the grill to high and line a tray with foil. Lay the cod on the tray and grill for 8–10 minutes, until the glaze is deeply caramelised at the edges, mahogany dark in patches, and the fish flakes easily when nudged with a fork. Don't walk away in the last two minutes — miso goes from glossy to scorched fast.
5. While the cod is under the grill, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and spring onions and cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold. Don't let the garlic catch — burnt garlic turns the whole bowl bitter.
6. Add the edamame and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until heated through and bright green.
7. Add the drained soba and soy sauce, tossing for 1–2 minutes until the noodles are warmed through and slick with the oil. Pile in the spinach and toss for another minute until just wilted. Taste — most of the salt comes from the soy, but a final pinch of salt and a crack of pepper ties it together.
8. Lift the cod off the tray and onto a plate. Scrape any glaze left on the foil into the warm noodle pan with a splash of water, swirl for 20 seconds until it loosens into a glossy sauce, then spoon it back over the noodles and through them.
9. Divide the soba and greens between four bowls and lay a cod fillet on top of each. Scatter over the pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, torn coriander leaves and a pinch of chilli flakes, and serve with a lime wedge on the side for squeezing over at the table.