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This pan-seared cod with bourbon features flaky white cod topped with a sweet bourbon sauce. And it’s ready in about 15 minutes!
Years ago, long before I happily devoured seafood day after day, I ordered a bourbon-glazed fish at a restaurant.
It was SO GOOD!
That happy day, I discovered that bourbon and seafood are a fantastic combination, and I wanted more!
This easy pan-seared cod is served with an easy bourbon sauce. It’s perfect for a fancy-schmancy date night, but is so quick, easy, and delicious that you could make it for a weeknight dinner too!
What Kind of Cod Should I Buy?
Look for Alaska cod with a Marine Steward Councilship sustainability label.
Climate change has caused Alaska cod to become more scarce, to the point that the Alaska Cod Fishery officially closed the 2020 season.
What does that mean for you?
It means you might notice the price of cod rising or that it’s becoming harder to find.
If you can’t find (or don’t want to pay for) Alaska cod, swap it for halibut or salmon. Or try these similar recipes: halibut salad with bourbon dressing and bourbon salmon with pecans.
How to Make a Gastrique Sauce To Go With Pan-Seared Cod
For this pan-seared cod, you’re going to need bourbon, honey, balsamic vinegar, a little butter and olive oil, and a few fresh herbs.
Oh, and cod. Don’t forget the cod!
First, gather all the ingredients for your “gastrique.”
Gastrique is a French word that means… ‘extra super-duper-fancy-pants sauce,’ — I believe that’s a direct translation.
Don’t quote me.
Combine the bourbon and balsamic, and set it aside (but within arm’s reach).
Pour the honey into a small saucepan over medium heat, and it should start bubbling within 1-2 minutes. Once the bubbles start, stir it with a wooden spoon until the honey turns a dark amber color.
As soon as– and I do mean AS SOON AS– the honey darkens, grab the bourbon-balsamic mixture and, standing as far back from the pan as possible to avoid getting splashed, pour the mixture in.
Continue stirring for another couple of minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
Does It Matter What Kind of Pan I Use?
Ideally, use a heavy pan to pan-sear.
A heavy pan will help evenly distribute the heat.
My favorite pan is the Lodge 10″ cast-iron skillet when cooking for two, or the Lodge 12″ cast-iron skillet when cooking for four or five.
Make Pan-Seared Cod
Since cod takes a little longer to sear than a thinner fish would, I like to use both butter and olive oil when I’m searing it.
That way, the butter doesn’t brown as quickly and the oil doesn’t start smoking. Heat your butter and oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
Once the pan is hot, add the fish, and leave it alone! Let it cook for about four minutes, and then flip and let it finish cooking!
Need more help? Check out this tutorial on How to Pan-Sear Fish.
Drizzle the seared cod with your bourbon gastrique, and top everything off with some fresh herbs.
Serve it right away, and savor each bite of this decadently rich fish dinner!
Pan-Seared Cod with Kentucky Bourbon
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cod fillets (2 fillets)
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (1 oz)
- 2 tablespoon bourbon (1 oz)
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- diced green onion, parsley, and or basil to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Pat cod dry and season with salt. Allow it to come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, pour balsamic vinegar and bourbon together and set aside. Keep the balsamic-bourbon mixture within arm’s reach, so that you can grab it quickly when the honey is ready.
- Pour honey into a small, heavy-bottom pot and turn heat to medium. In about 1-2 minutes, the honey should start to bubble. Stir it with a wooden spoon until the honey darkens in color and turns amber (about 3 more minutes). Note- The caramelizing honey will be EXTREMELY hot. Do not touch it or attempt to taste it at this point.
- Carefully, standing back from the pot in case of splash-back, pour the balsamic and bourbon mixture into the pot with the honey. Stir, and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Take sauce off the heat, and set aside. If the sauce cools and thickens too much while the fish is cooking, simply set it back on the heat for about a minute, or until it heats up again.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat. Set cod in hot pan, and DO NOT TOUCH IT. Set a timer for 4 minutes, and don't touch the cod until the timer goes off. (If your butter smokes a little, lower the heat slightly.)Next, use a thin metal spatula to flip the cod. If it sticks to the pan, wait another 30 seconds. The fish will release when it's done cooking. Cook for another 4 minutes, and transfer to plates. Serve fish immediately with bourbon sauce, along with fresh herbs (optional).
This recipe looks sooo good! I love cod. It’s such a beautifully flaky fish. And that bourbon sauce looks amazing! Great tips on choosing high quality fish too.
I love the idea of making fish with a bourbon glaze! I’m always looking for new seafood ideas 😀
Oh wow! I’ve never had cod with bourbon before. I mean, I’ve had bourbon, I’ve had cod, but not together! This looks so good. That glaze? Um, yes please!
Yay! Enjoy 🙂
That Kentucky Bourbon sauce looks amazing!!! Drizzled on top of that beautiful sear-so much drooling going on right now! It is so hard to be patient and wait for the right time to flip the fish. I think I’ve finally gotten it down but still, I sometimes feel like I have to sit on my hands in order to not flip too soon.
lol yes! And if you flip too soon, sometimes it doesn’t sear as prettily! Just walk away and let it cook haha 😀
It’s soooo good this way!!!
Can I use molasses instead of sorghum?
I haven’t tried it with molasses, but I THINK it would be fine! Since molasses isn’t quite as sweet as sorghum, I’d expect it to be a little less sweet overall (but that could be really good!). Let me know how it turns out if you try it! I don’t have any molasses on hand or I’d do it myself (it sounds yummy!)
I have gobs of molasses so, I had to ask! I will definitely let you know!
Awesome yes! I have so much sorghum that I haven’t picked up any molasses recently ????
Wow! I have fish in the freezer and bourbon in the cupboard so I’m trying this one tonight!
Nice! Let me know how you like it!
We eat fish at least three times per week and cod is usually on our menu. I feel fortunate to have a reputable fish monger about 2 miles from my house (they’re not cheap, but they’re good) and I’m there often enough that I get the “friends and family” discount LOL! Next time I’m in, I’ll pick up some cod for this recipe. We love cooking with bourbon here, too — I make a bourbon glazed salmon that everyone loves. I wish you lived closer, we could taste test each other’s recipes!
Aw man I’d totally go fish shopping with you too!! We could be fish friends lololol. Let me know how you like it!!
I’m not positive if they ship to Canada or not!!! But they’re located in Seattle, so you’re super close to them!!!! Let me know if you give this a try!
Thank you so much for the information. When we eat fish or any seafood, for that matter, we want to know the source of it. I totally agree that it tastes much better. It’s more expensive, this way, we eat less meat and fish for dinner, and we focus on quality.
That’s an awesome strategy- you’re right it can be a little pricier this way (but not too bad!!)
This sauce is amazing wanted to lick it off the plate. Awesome easy recipe had it will simply sautéed green bean. Thinking asparagus next time.
Aw thank you Sophie!!! I’m glad you loved it!
My husband and I loved the cod. It was flaky, light and buttery – the cooking time was perfect! I ended up doubling the Bourbon sauce because I had extra cod. I think it would’ve been fine with half of the sauce. It ended up being way too much and it was too thin for my tastes. I was expecting it to be more like a glaze. If I make it again, I will either “reduce” the sauce or cut it in half. Hubby gave it two thumbs up!
I’m glad you liked it!! The sauce was probably thinner than normal if you doubled it. It probably needed more time to cook down 🙂 Glad you loved it though!
This look amazing! Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Thanks Agness! You sure can!
What alcohol can I substitute for bourbon?
You could use any unflavored whiskey! I hope that helps!
Delicious
Yummy!
Yay! I’m glad you loved it 🙂
The sauce = I need to make a tub of it. Amazing. Simple. Fast. Must make!!!
Yay! It’s one of my favorites too, I’m so glad you loved it!
This looks delicious!! Will be making Wednesday night. My husband is an Alaskan cod fisherman. We have a freezer full of cod fillets and ALWAYS looking for new recipes. What sides do you recommend serving with this dish? Also if you’re ever looking for amazing cod. Alaskan Leader is sold at Costco and Safeway!
Hi Amanda! I’d probably serve it with my goat cheese mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus 🙂 (or another starch and veggie)
Let me know when you try it! And thanks for the recommendation 😀
I was looking for a different way to make fish other than lemon, butter and garlic, but this wasn’t it. I don’t know why I thought honey would work with fish and the bourbon and vinegar were so pungent that when I smelled it I started to cough. Sorry…awful.
Hey Kathy, sorry the sauce wasn’t for you! The vinegar and bourbon will mellow a lot if you allow them to cook down like the recipe calls for. The final sauce is sweet.
Made this last night and it was delicious! I realized at the last minute that we were out of bourbon (whoops), so I substituted rum and it worked just fine. I like that it’s a pretty short list of ingredients to create a dish that’s so tasty! We also added some chopped pecans as a topping for a little crunch.