Top | Helen Rennie

Sablefish with Balsamic Orange Ginger Glaze

(recipe, Helen Rennie)

primary-image, l

Introduction

Fish-market alert: Sable is sometimes called black cod or butterfish. Substitute salmon, halibut, steelhead trout, or pretty much any relatively thick fillets that are not too dense.

Ingredients

1. 4 sable fillets without skin (6 oz. each)
2. 2 Tbsp. honey
3. 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4. 2 tsp. soy sauce
5. 1 Tbsp. orange juice
6. 1 Tbsp. orange zest
7. 1 in of ginger, peeled and minced
8. 2 tsp. oil
9. Salt and pepper

Steps

1. Preheat the broiler and wrap a broiler pan with foil.
2. Season sable generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. Combine honey, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, and oil. Mix well and coat sable with this mixture. Sable should be only lightly coated, as too much of the glaze can burn under the broiler.
4. Broil sable 4 inches from the flame, just until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the rest of the glaze on top of the fish and finish in a 425-degree oven until done. The total cooking time (broiling plus baking) should be about 8 minutes per inch of thickness. To test for doneness, separate the flakes in the thickest part, and look inside. Sable is done when a trace of translucency remains in the center.

Note

I did not forget to tell you to flip the fish. Cooking it only on one side allows for the glaze to really caramelize on top. Read more in Helen Rennie's column on buying and preparing fish.