Prepare Cod with Soy Balsamic Glaze

I'm a firm believer that some of the best dishes are discovered by accident. This dish was born out of a near disaster. I was cooking for a VIP event in the middle of nowhere when disaster struck.

We had portioned and marinated a few sablefish fillets in a sweet miso sauce the day before but upon testing a piece shortly before service, it became clear that something was very wrong with the fish. It wasn't spoiled, but the texture was unpleasantly mushy and with less than 10 minutes to go till service we decided not to serve it. I ran to the walk-in and managed to find some fresh bass fillets which I handed over to a cook to portion and pan-fry while I figured out a sauce.

Since the sides were geared towards something Asian, I decided to stick with the theme and started mincing some scallions, garlic and and ginger. With the fish almost ready to go and hungry guests waiting, I grabbed a bottle of chinese rice wine, a bottle of soy sauce and some balsamic vinegar and poured them into the pan in equal proportions.

The thought was that the sugars in the balsamic would help give the sauce a nice sheen while providing some mild acidity. Just as the fish was being plated on platters, the sauce started to thicken and I knew it was done.

Sauced and garnished, the servers picked up the platters of bass and headed to the dining room, which was around the time I realized I hadn't tasted the sauce. The next few minutes were tense, but soon the platters returned completely empty, save a few scraggly sprigs of cilantro. Lunch was a hit and I'd narrowly averted a disaster.

A few months later I tried the dish again at home and beyond taking 10 minutes to make, it was genuinely good. With moist flaky fish glazed in an earthy sauce that's redolent of ginger and garlic, it's a treat for all your senses.

For the fish, any flaky white meat fish will do: cod, halibut or striped bass all work great. I've opted to pan-fry the fish because it's easier than steaming, but if you want to make this healthier, just steam the fish instead.