Broiled Halibut with Miso Glaze

From EatingWell: January/February 1997, The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook (2005) — Subscribe Now!

Miso, mirin and sake—three standard ingredients used in Japanese cooking—enhance the mild sweetness of halibut. Deboning halibut steaks is actually a simple procedure, which creates delightful tender morsels of fish. You can substitute halibut fillet, if desired.

4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1/4 cup shiro miso, (sweet white miso paste) (see Note)
2 tablespoons sake, or rice wine (see Notes)
2 tablespoons mirin, (see Note)
1 1/2 pounds halibut steak
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Lime wedges for garnish
Pickled ginger for garnish, (see Note)

Preparation

Whisk miso, sake (or rice wine) and mirin in a small bowl into a smooth paste.
With a large sharp boning knife, remove skin from halibut steaks. Following the natural divisions created by the bone and cartilage, cut fish from the bone to create 4 small boneless steaks (also called medallions). Trim any dark areas.
Preheat broiler. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray.
Place the halibut medallions on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with half the miso glaze. Broil, 3 to 4 inches from the flame, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the medallions over and brush with the remaining miso mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and broil until the fish is opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with lime wedges and pickled ginger.

Tips & Notes

Notes: Miso is fermented soybean paste made by inoculating a mixture of soybeans, salt and grains (usually barley or rice) with koji, a beneficial mold. Aged for up to 3 years, miso is undeniably salty, but a little goes a long way. Shiro miso (sweet or white miso), made with soy and rice, is yellow and milder in flavor; use for soup, salad dressings and sauces for fish or chicken.
Sake is a dry rice wine generally available where wines are sold. Junmai, a special designation for sake, denotes sake brewed from rice that has been milled less than other special-designation sakes. More pure than other sakes, junmai has no distilled alcohol added. It is characterized by a well-rounded, rich flavor and body and more acidity than most sakes.
Mirin is a sweet, low-alcohol rice wine essential in Japanese cooking. Look for it in your supremarket with the Asian or gourmet ingredients.
Pickled ginger—most often served with sushi—can be found in natural-foods stores, Asian markets and in the supermarket produce department.

Nutrition

Per serving: 258 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 54 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 37 g protein; 0 g fiber; 562 mg sodium; 12 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (89% daily value), Magnesium (37% dv).

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 5 very lean meat