Skip Expensive Sea Bass: The Cheaper Fish Alternative With More Omega-3

It's never a bad idea to get more seafood into your diet. It's a great source of protein, loaded with a whole alphabet of nutrients, and most importantly, it's reliably delicious. There's an endless variety of seafood to suit any taste, and one fish many shoppers reach for is Chilean sea bass; however, anyone familiar with it knows it rarely comes cheap. If you're in the market for something rich and buttery without the sky-high price, sablefish is an excellent alternative.

Sablefish, commonly known as black cod, is a deep-water fish native to the North Pacific, ranging from Mexico to Alaska and the Bering Sea. Despite the name, it isn't a true cod, just as Chilean sea bass isn't a true bass. Both are white fish, a category usually associated with lean flesh, but these two are the exception to the rule. Because they live in cold, deep waters, they store plenty of omega-3-rich fat. But that doesn't make them equal. In fact, sablefish outranks not only sea bass but virtually any other whitefish when it comes to omega-3 content. 

Its famously high fat content gives sablefish its indulgently rich, buttery texture and juicy flavor. For reference, salmon is the fish most people associate with omega-3s, and sablefish lands in the same ballpark with practically the same amounts (per Oregon State University). Surprisingly, despite being the richer option of the two whitefish, it tends to come in considerably cheaper than pricey Chilean sea bass, with strong catches and population booms strongly contributing to its more approachable price point. 

Though sablefish is generally more affordable than Chilean sea bass, that doesn't necessarily mean it's budget-friendly. It remains a favorite at high-end restaurants, and one of the most famous examples is Nobu. At this Japanese-Peruvian fusion spot beloved by celebrities, miso-marinated black cod is one of its signature dishes. Fortunately, you can recreate this viral favorite at home without paying an arm or a leg. 

Simply leave the fillets in a mixture of miso paste, mirin, sake, and sugar for at least two hours, or ideally overnight, to let the flavors work their way into the fish. When you're ready to cook, scrape off the excess marinade and broil the fish for around seven minutes, until the surface is beautifully caramelized and lightly charred while the inside remains tender and buttery. Pair that with some sushi rice made Chef Nobu style for a Michelin-worthy dinner all from the comfort of your own home.

When it comes to cooking, sablefish sets itself apart from the cod it shares its name with thanks to its high fat content. Your standard Atlantic or Pacific cod is exceptionally lean, making it protein-dense but also a little trickier to cook without drying out. Black cod, meanwhile, is far more forgiving when it comes to heat. Its generous fat content helps protect the flesh from drying out, even when exposed to high temperatures, making it an excellent candidate for a wide range of cooking methods, from pan-searing and grilling to broiling, roasting, pan-frying, and even smoking.