Hoda Kotb’s 2-Ingredient Baked Fish Is the Ultimate Low-Effort, High-Reward Dinner
TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb already has a slew of viral recipes under her stylish belt, and for good reason. Whether it's her mom's 5-ingredient pesto chicken or her 2-ingredient Ritz cracker "girl dinner," there's something about each of Hoda's recipes that is so elegant (well maybe not the crackers), so impressive and—most importantly—so low maintenance that it seems too good to be true. That is, until you take a bite.
But one of Hoda's recipes—her 2-Ingredient Ponzu Fish—stands above the rest, most likely because of the way it epitomizes the lazy dinner combined with some major Audrey Hepburn elegance. Plus, Hoda has mentioned this dish as her one true recipe since 2017! If she's been making it for that many years it has to be good, right? Curious and hungry, I grabbed the two (yes, really) ingredients and found out what it's like to cook like Hoda.
Get the recipe: Hoda Kotb's 2-Ingredient Ponzu Fish
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Ingredients for Hoda Kotb’s 2-Ingredient Fish Dish
As the name suggests, only two ingredients are needed for this faux fancy meal: a bottle of ponzu and a piece of black cod. I couldn’t find black cod at my regular supermarket, but I did find it at Whole Foods for $14.99 per pound (under the name sablefish; more on that later). I grabbed exactly one pound, which was enough for two generous servings.
Related: 26 Flavorful Cod Recipes
How To Make Hoda Kotb’s 2-Ingredient Fish Dish
Place the fish in a baking dish and pour in enough ponzu sauce to reach about halfway up the fish. (I needed about two-thirds of the bottle.) Bake at 350° until the fish registers 145° on an instant-read thermometer, which took about 20 minutes in my oven. That's it!
Related: The One Trader Joe's Item Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager Say You Need to Buy
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
What I Thought of Hoda Kotb’s 2-Ingredient Fish Dish
Hoda says that her fish tastes almost exactly like the Miso-Marianted Black Cod from Nobu, the celeb-fave restaurant with locations around the world. And while I've never had that specific dish, I trust Hoda's opinion 100 percent after making this dinner. I was entirely skeptical that just two ingredients could taste so amazingly good. But then I remembered that the fish I was using was pretty high quality and the ponzu sauce had a pleasant citrusy lemony kick, which made this two-ingredient recipe a match made in heaven.
The fish was sweet, delicate, flaky and rich and was made even better by crisping the skin up under the broiler at the end. Plus, I loved the fact that Nobu's black cod is a whopping $48 and Hoda's version only cost me $10 per person (we love a good dupe, right?).
Related: 40 Best Baked Fish Recipes
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Tips for Making Hoda Kotb’s 2-Ingredient Fish Dish
Find the right fish. You have to use black cod or sea bass according to Hoda. If you can’t find black cod, which is also called sablefish, grab a piece of sea bass. Regular cod is widely available, but it's not a good substitute for black cod, which is much fattier (in a good way) than regular cod, which gives it a rich, silky texture.
Grab a thermometer. Hoda's recipe doesn't specify how to tell when your fish is totally done, but an easy way is to feel it and flake it. If it's firm to the touch, flakes easily with a fork and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the fish registers at 145°, you're good to go.
Make it a meal. This recipe was so easy that I decided to make some sides to go along with it. While I waited for the timer to go off, I made a side of roasted broccoli and miso mashed sweet potatoes.
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