For this week’s winesday, I decided to make another recipe from Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen: Kasu Zuke Black Cod. This is a very traditional Japanese dish in which black cod is steeped for several days in a kasu marinade and then broiled or grilled. Kasu, also called sake lees, is the sediment left behind after making sake. It is a rather unattractive looking pale paste but it has a nice, fermented sake aroma to it. It is available in Asian markets (hint: after walking around Uwajimaya twice, I finally found it over by the fish; this makes sense as kasu is used most commonly as a marinade for seafood.)

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the black cod that I needed for this dish so I bought salmon instead. Although it has a stronger flavor, salmon is recommended as a good substitute in this recipe because both types of fish are similarly high in oil. The important thing about making this dish is to plan ahead since it has to marinate for two days. Once the fish is in the marinade, however, most of the work is done. When you are ready to eat, simply give the fish a quick turn on the grill or under the broiler. The sugar in the marinade causes the fish to get nice and caramelized and that, or some other alchemic process, makes the skin turn extra crispy and delicious. This is a very rich and flavorful dish so I would suggest serving smallish portions. I served my salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Tom Douglas recommends serving this dish with sake (obviously) or a Washington Semillon. I selected L’Ecole No. 41 2005 Semillon, not just because of the cute child’s drawing of a schoolhouse on the label (L’Ecole means “the school” in French,) but also because L’Ecole has always gotten really good reviews for their wines, including the Semillon. The 2005 Semillon wine is very rich and complex in flavor. Descriptions of this wine include “honeyed fruit,” “figs, “caramel,” and “pear.” With minimal oak, it reminded me of the Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs from Australia and New Zealand. The caramely, fruity flavor and richness of the wine matched very well with the salmon.

Click here for Tom’s recipe for Kasu Zuke Black Cod (it’s way down at the bottom of the page and there is some crucial information missing. It should say 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup mirin or sake.) Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can sometimes find pre-marinated black cod in Asian markets, including Seattle’s own Mutual Fish.