Moving again {Miso-honey glazed cod}


My love of miso began when I visited Japan as a teenager and continued when I lived in Chinatown. There, Hong Kong Supermarket, which is definitely not a market for the intrepid, was my go-to place for Asian ingredients. I popped by the other day for the miso I used in this recipe and I realized how much I miss strolling those aisles in search of ingredients like udon noodles, mochi desserts, green tea, Asian greens and so much more.

In the fall of 2010 I moved from Chinatown in Lower Manhattan to Park Slope in Brooklyn and oh how it took some time to adjust to a neighborhood that’s quite the opposite of the hustle-bustle. But…now I am moving again, to another leafy, brownstone area of Brooklyn. There are three of us and we’ve outgrown this apartment. Fortunately we sold it our first open house! And then we found a gem of a place in another neighborhood great for kids: Cobble Hill. I’m already looking forward to living a few blocks from one of my favorite food stores: Sahadi’s. I’ve made a mental list of the ingredients I’ll buy there, and dishes I’ll cook.

The glaze, before mixing.

But for now, here is a super easy-to-make cod that’s full of flavor, thanks to the honey and miso (and the crushed chili pepper I add to so many recipes lately). You can easily double or triple the recipe if need be. I served it with bok choy and corn on the cob.

Where do you love shopping for unique ingredients? Let me know in the comments below.

Miso-honey glazed cod

1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon of miso
Sea salt + freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 pinch of crushed chili pepper, or to taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 (6-ounce) cod fillets, about 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon of Panko (Japanese bread crumbs), or to taste
Scallions, chopped, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Whisk together the honey, miso, salt + pepper, chili pepper and garlic. Place the cod in a baking dish and brush with the glaze. Sprinkle with desired amount of Panko. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped scallions, to taste.

I am always inspired to cook when visiting NYC’s many food shops and I created an App to help others discover where to go and what to buy: NYC iFoodShop now available on iTunes!

34 Comments
  1. Yum!  This post made me realized how limited we are in Seattle – sure, we have our International District, but it never occurred to me to go there for ingredients!  I just always go to Whole Foods. But this cod sounds awesome, I am going to have to go EXPLORE and try this!

  2. I have only been to New York once, but the time I was there, I visited more health food stores than I have been in in years.  I love the stores and restaurants there.  My city in the midwest, has one store with food that is a little old and another – Whole Foods that has almost all that I could want.  If I lived in New York…I would do my own grocery shopping!  That is a lovely recipe! ~Cathy

  3. Let me know if you try it! I haven’t been to Seattle but I’d love to check out the International District.

  4. Yes, there are so many great health food stores here. I feel lucky that I can pick and choose where to shop, and how there are so many ingredients available. Next time you visit I’ll show you around.

  5. Tracey – what a great recipe! It sounds yummy and definitely something I’ll try as it sounds really simple. A great healthier alternative to my traditional English Fish n Chips – no fried batter but still the crispy crunch. Thanks. 

  6. Oh Lord. That looks so good. It’s lunchtime now, which makes it worse. I never know what to do with Miso except Miso soup, so I love this recipe. xo

  7. Thank you for the navigation through my city – I live on the UWS, but I’ve been to Chinatown many times and Park Slope and Sahadi’s is just a few minute walk from my sister and her family’s place.  Great area!

    I also enjoy cooking and looking for new things to enjoy.  Thank you for what sounds to be a tasty dish!

  8.  My grandmother used to make a delicious salt cod recipe with pickled onions that I dream about to this day. I will absolutely try this one and see if it can satisfy that longing!

  9. Good luck with your move! I took love miso, and these recipes look delish. Thanks for sharing!

  10. First time here and I adore your name..The Busy Hedonist, that instantly makes me want to be your friend. Plus you adore food…yay!!!

  11. Love everything about your blog and your recipe..sweet with a kick! perfect.. Congrats on your new home and on selling in one open house.. moving with ease is a major talent..Also loved seeing the msg-free miso.. was at a conference recently when they were talking about how MSG eats brain tissue.. nice. Happy you’re in our blogging group..
    Love to you..
    Lisa
    http://www.IntuitiveBody.com
    Simple Sacred Solutions For Living Beautifully In Your Body

  12. Lovely story to go with your delicious sounding recipe! Best of luck with your move!

    Hugs and butterflies,
    ~Teresa~

  13. Tracey – awesome story to accompany your recipe! LOVE that as it really made me appreciate the recipe EVEN MORE! Here in the DC area, my favorite place to shop is a place called MOMs….or My Organic Market. Love it! Thanks for sharing your story and good luck with all aspects of the move luv!

    xo, Tina

  14. Mmmmm so yummy I can’t wait to try this recipes! I just explored cobble hill recently, what a great neighborhood. Hope you have a good move!

  15. I claim that I’m a terribly bad cook all the time, but maybe if I had good recipes like this one, I wouldn’t need to make excuses! Thanks for this… I’ll be on the lookout for interesting ingredients in my local grocery stores to up my cooking arsenal!

  16. Looks delicious, and healthy too!  Write another healthy recipe for my blog!  🙂   (And if you can include how to get a 4-year old to be more adventurous with eating, all the better…..)

    My favorite shopping place is an international farmers’ market near our house.  It’s huge and industrial, but if you take a little time, you can find the most amazing and interesting ingredients. 

  17. Ohhh, that looks so yummy!  I must admit I’m having a hard time getting blueberry muffins to turn out to my liking so this recipe is a bit outside my box but thank you so much for showing me how high I can soar!!

  18. Congratulations on App! Thanks for such a tasty post, I will definitely try to make it. It reminded me that I always wanted to find a local market nearby but kept postponing, maybe because local supermarkets started offering more and more varied ingredients from all over the world, however nothing can be better than local produce.

  19. Tracey, that’s great news about selling your house and finding another one close to a grocery store you love.  I’m already looking forward to the recipes you’ll be sharing. 🙂  This recipe sounds like a great way to prepare fish — kinda like biting into buried treasure with the marinade under the Panko crumbs.  Delish!

  20. As always, your recipes make me want to run out, buy all the ingredients, and get cooking. Sadly, I’ve been so busy that I’m rotating through all of my old stand-bys that I can cook in my sleep. Excited for your move. It’ll be lovely for your family to be able to spread out a bit and stretch.

  21. I am so excited to try out this recipe, Tracey!  have been looking for a new fish to cook!  Where do you recommend getting your cod?  is it fresh or frozen?  

    I LOVE that you have moved to Cobble Hill.  Is it in a song…. hmmmmm… here is one… http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=19703790&ac=now.  But I was thinking more from the 70s.  

    I am soooooo happy that you have found what feels soulful for you and your dear family, Tracey….close to a market that you love.  Looking forward to photos of your kitchen, your growing daughter in it and more adventures of food and travel to famous food making places!

  22. I buy fresh cod and once in a while the frozen cod at Whole Foods. I didn’t end up moving to Cobble Hill; it fell through. So I am looking for a new place one with a big kitchen for all my creations. I’m going to check out that song!

  23. I still haven’t moved, which is INSANE. But once I do I can’t wait to get cranking in the kitchen again. I love miso and Panko, so I use any opportunity to combine them.

  24. Thank you! It was so fun putting the App together. It didn’t feel like work at all because I love visiting specialty food stores. I love local produce, too, but also love finding exotic ingredients from around the world.

  25. Jessica, I’d love to write a healthy recipe for your blog. Let me know. And maybe we can commiserate on how to get our 4-year olds to be more adventurous eaters because I still haven’t accomplished that. : )