Day 17 - The Only Fish in the Sea

It's Sunday but because I don't work regular hours it really could be any day of the week. Despite my daily Wii Active sessions (now on Day 14 of 20) my energy levels are still at a low and I find the same old thoughts rotating round and round in my head. I know if I was a lot more proactive about work and relationships I might feel a little better but even when I am the knock-backs seem to abound and it dents my confidence quite a bit.  I'll try a little, just a toe in the water, but not too much, because what if I find what I'm actually dreading is true?  Sometimes when I'm surrounded by people, I'm find myself feeling more alone than ever, the only fish in a very big ocean. I'll lie in bed and wait for a reassuring touch for comfort and support but it never comes. I know everything is relative and I should look at what I have rather than what I don't but I'm finding life hard right now.

To this end and to take my mind of everything I threw myself into dinner. I'd bought some sea bass earlier in the week and aimed to pair it with the miso paste I had left over from Sushi night. Sea bass is one of my favourite fishes, it has a lovely subtle flavour and I had high hopes for my miso-infused version. I was inspired by a recipe from All Recipes and Nobu's signature dish 'Black Cod'. 

It made enough marinade for at least 2 sea bass fillets.

• 2 1/2 tbsp sake
• 2 1/2 tbsp mirin
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp white (Shiro) miso paste
• 2 x 175g Sea Bass Fillets

I put the fillets in a resealable plastic bag and poured the marinade over the top.  I popped this into a tupperware box in case of leaks and then into the fridge for as long as I could.  In this case for around 4-5hours I think. If I’d had my wits about me I would have done this yesterday but I think that the taste was good enough with just that amount of time.

I then put some jasmine rice on to steam and once done garnished with a little finely diced red pepper and cucumber with a squeeze of lime. Meanwhile I heated the grill up, making sure the oven rack was further away from the heat than normal, the middle shelf was about right. I put the fillets on a baking tray poured a little more marinade over them and put under the grill for around 7-8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.

Then all that was left was plating up. I plated the rice, topped with the slightly blackened fish and sprinkled over a few finely sliced green chillis and red pepper. Dinner was served.

It was a light bright affair.  I’ve had the dish ‘Black Cod’ a few times now with a similar marinade but I can say with certainty that I much prefer it with sea bass.  The fish had a lovely subtle favour that went brilliantly with the sweetness of the miso marinade. Next time I shall endeavour to find some thicker fillets and serve it with some pak choi but it was absolutely scrumptious. Just not enough!

So, however flat I felt at the start of the day, at least for around 2 hours today I felt better.  Preparing and creating food really can be the best comforter.

Miso-Marinated Sea Bass