Traeger Roasted Miso Marinated Black Cod

In partnership with Meater

On a regular basis, we love to move away from the old traditional meat and potatoes off the Traeger and have something lighter, more unique and just as delicious. This recipe for Traeger roasted miso marinated black cod is the perfect summer dish that is great accompanied by some fresh veggies and a light stir-fried noodle side. In under an hour you’ll have a restaurant-worthy fish dish hot off the Traeger that you family will love.

ROASTED FISH ON THE TRAEGER

You may not think that a fish filet cooked on the Traeger is the way to go. But I’m here to tell you that it is, indeed, the best way to go. Quick, efficient, low on mess and high on flavor, fish that has been roasted in the Traeger grill comes out moist, flavorful and predictably delicious.

Of course, you’ve probably enjoyed fish that has been smoked in the Traeger (oops… I need to put a recipe up!) but it’s not the only way to cook some fish on the Traeger grill. I highly recommend turning the heat up on your grill (to about 400* and using the grill as a high heat convection oven to roast your fish. You’ll get a great result with moist fish that is cooked to perfection. Restaurant-worthy!

THE BEST TYPES OF FISH TO COOK

I think that most types of fish are perfect on the Traeger– and we do salmon frequently. But a fish like black cod (this recipe) or halibut also holds up super well in the Traeger. The nice thing about cooking in a Traeger is that it is generally a quick way to cook a meal and your house doesn’t heat up from turning on the oven. So give it a try with delicate fish too – some quick, high and flavorful heat from the wood pellets makes for a perfect meal!

We source our fish from my friend Traveler at Salmon and Sable. I’ve never had such good seafood as I have from Traveler. He’s the fisherman, butcher, packager and shipper… so you know exactly where your fish has come from, how it was processed and when it was frozen and shipped. As the name suggests, Salmon and Sable specializes in coho and king salmon, but also fishes sable, halibut, and black cod. The cod we had for this dish was just outstanding.

HOW TO SEASON YOUR FISH

A recipe like this shares how to marinate a piece of fish for maximum flavor. We have several recipes on this blog that share other methods of seasoning your fish– particularly sprinkling it with seasoning. But a marinade gives the fish time to absorb some of the flavors in the mixture and it adds extra moisture. You can’t go wrong with that!

MISO MARINADE COMPLIMENTS BLACK COD

If you do a google search for black cod, you’ll likely find lots of recipes that include miso as a flavoring ingredient. That’s what we found, and have found when we eat black cod in restaurants. Indeed, the first and most memorable time I had cod was at a fancy sushi restaurant in Aspen CO where an uncle was celebrating a big birthday. The Broiled Black Cod with Miso that we had many years ago– and is on this menu here— is still a memorable bite.

BEST WAYS TO COOK FISH ON THE TRAEGER

We like to cook fish really simply for maximum flavor (and easiest route for a busy family like ours). If you place your fish on a piece of pink butcher paper (good for salmon) or parchment (good for white fishes), you will have easy cleanup and fish that won’t fall apart. The worst thing that can happen is fish starts falling through the gaps in the grill grates, leaving you with fish pieces and not enough for dinner.

So we usually use a small cookie sheet lined with parchment and place the fish directly on that. If you want to or intend to eat the fish skin, spray the parchment with a bit of vegetable oil before placing the fish, which will give you a crispier finish.

You can do a similar method using a cedar plank for your fish. Either route allows you to keep your fish intact and that leaves a great result for serving.

Temperature wise, I recommend using a high temperature to get your fish cooked quickly without drying out too much. For this recipe for miso marinated black cod roasted in the Traeger, we cranked the grill heat up to 400* and only had to cook the fish about 10 minutes at this temperature.

THE MEATER MAKES IT EASY

Along with the temperature of the grill, the temperature of the fish is super important. It can be hard to tell what when fish is done just by looking. You don’t want to put a fork in to test for flakiness if you plan to take pictures of your dish, and pulling it too soon results in food waste. Likewise, fish that has cooked too long necessitates sauce or something to dip, and at that rate you might as well eat canned tuna.

So we like to select fillets of fish that are just thick enough to allow us to insert a Meater Thermometer in the thickest part. The wireless capabilities of the Meater, paired with the advanced app that allows you to specify your target temperatures and finish means that every time you use it– whether for miso marinated black cod or a ribeye steak– you will have perfect results.

We inserted the thermometer probe, paired it to the app and selected a finish temperature of 128* (allowing for some carry over cooking) and the grill to 400*. In about 20 minutes, we had perfectly cooked fish.

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

• Black cod fillet
• White miso paste
• Mirin
• Rice wine vinegar 
• Garlic
• Sugar

WHY COOKING ROASTED BLACK COD ON THE TRAEGER WORKS 

Miso marinated black cod roasted on the Traeger is the perfect family meal for you and your loved ones to enjoy on a weeknight. It only takes about 1 hour total (from unwrapping to serving) because the fish is moist, light and cooks quickly.

We put this marinated fish on parchment paper after it spent about 30 minutes in the flavorful miso mixture. Once on the paper, it hit the grill at 400* for about 20 minutes and then was on the table. The kitchen never heated up, our family had dinner in a jiffy and we enjoyed such a delicious meal.

STEP-BY-STEP

• Unwrap your fish and pat it dry.
• In a shallow pan, combine the marinade ingredients.
• Stir together the miso, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sugar and garlic and whisk until smooth.
• Place the fish in the mixture and turn to coat.
• Cover the pan and return it to the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
• Preheat your Traeger to 400*.
• When the grill is hot, remove the fish from the marinate and place it directly on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Insert the Meater Thermometer in the thickest part of the fish.
• Pair the thermometer with the app and set to a target temperature of 128*.
• Place the cookie sheet in the grill and close the lid.
• Allow the fish to cook about 20 minutes or until the Meater app alerts you to a target finish temperature.
• Remove your roasted miso marinated black cod from the Traeger and serve immediately with simple Asian-inspired sides.

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

Here are some other fish recipes on the Traeger for you to try:

• Traeger grilled salmon with peach and Serrano salsa
• Salmon tacos with citrus slaw
• Grilled halibut with Sevilla-style salsa
• There’s also a great salmon recipe in my cookbook, which you can get here

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS COOK

• Traeger Grill
• Salmon & Sable black cod
• Meater Thermometer system

For this recipe, we used the Meater thermometer system to ensure that we had a perfectly roasted black cod. Some of the features I love about the Meater: 

• Longer Range: Bluetooth to WiFi range extension built in up to 165ft. Stand-Alone Mode: Cook without the use of your smartphone.
• Multiple Probes: Dual temperature sensors in each probe can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient/external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously.
• Guided Cook System: Walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results. You can also set up custom alerts/notifications based on temperature and/or time.
• Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.

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