Maple Madness

Maple madness is now on every Saturday and Sunday until the end of March. You can visit sugarbushes, eat some sweet stuff and buy some maple products to bring home. I didn’t have to leave my ’hood to get to my nearest sugarbush—we wanted some yummy brunch from Big Mike’s BBQ and lucky for us he was just down the road at Justin’s Maple Syrup on County Road 32. My son was excited to buy some maple sugar and was thinking of how he was going to use it. I bought some dark syrup and decided to make some miso marinated cod. This recipe is inspired by some miso black cod or sablefish we ate years ago, but I make it with cod because it’s easier to source. I was looking for white miso and came across this miso broth at No Frills, which I thought was a better purchase because I knew it would get used up quicker than white miso. I also found the black sesame seeds at No Frills. The recipe is very quick and easy to make as long as you remember to marinate the fish ahead of time. I served it with steamed rice.

Maple- miso marinated cod
3/4 cup miso broth
1/4 cup dark maple syrup
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 pieces cod fillet, skin on, about 5-7 ounces each
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon black or toasted sesame seeds

Put fish in container big enough to hold it in single layer. In a small bowl, whisk together miso broth, maple syrup, ginger, and sesame oil. Pour over fish, cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat a large pan over high heat, put cod skin side up in hot pan with all the marinade. Bring to a boil and turn cod over, reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and simmer for 5-6 minutes until fish is cooked through and starts to flake. Sprinkle fish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with pan sauce drizzled over top.