Miso-glazed Black Cod with Braised Carrots & Soba Noodles

This recipe is a variation on the Salmon, Bok Choy & Udon theme: quick pieces that combine into an easy, flavorful meal that feels like special occasion food but comes together quickly on a busy weeknight. Since I put this together, we've had it enough times that MZ chows down on the soba noodles and even eats the carrots. Oddly, she's off fish these days, but if she were to actually try this, I think she'd love the light sweetness of the miso marinade and the suppleness of the black cod.

Black cod is in season locally right now. So is green garlic (you don't say), so I substituted it for scallions to excellent effect. The soba noodles aren't local, nor are they from a local merchant. But Nijiya market has a nice line of organic, non-GMO products and their soba is good. And the Mariquita Farms carrots were a real clean-out-the-fridge discovery, since neither of us love cooked carrots; the miso compliments their sweetness without reaching dessert levels. The marinade keeps for about one month in a glass jar in the fridge, so make the whole recipe and enjoy it again! Also, I haven't really noticed a huge difference in flavor with longer marinating, so don't feel like you need to get up early to get the fish marinating in time.

Miso-glazed Black Cod with Braised Carrots & Soba Noodles
1 recipe Aqua's Miso Marinade
1 lb. black cod fillets
1/2 cup low-sodium chix broth
1 T sugar
1.5 T white miso
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions or green garlic
1/2 lb. carrots, cut in quarters lengthwise, then into thin slices on a deep angle
1/4 T butter (one thin slice from a stick)
2 sections from a package of dried soba noodles (see photo)

Place the fish in the miso marinade at least one hour before cooking. Then remove from marinade. Reserve marinade.

Place the chix broth, sugar, miso and leftover marinade in a nonstick pan. Bring to a boil, add the carrots, cover and cook 3-5 minutes, depending on preferred "doneness." Stir in the green onions or green garlic.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pan of water to boil, and heat a nonstick pan to medium-high for the fish. Cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions. Cook the cod fillets for 3 minutes on each side.

Stir the soba into the carrot mixture. Serve in rimmed pasta bowls with the fish on top.