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    Home » Dinner » Main Dishes

    Pan-Seared Cod with Bourbon

    Published: Mar 26, 2017 · Modified: Nov 16, 2023 · 42 Comments

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Save Recipe Saved!

    This pan-seared cod with bourbon features flaky white cod topped with a sweet bourbon sauce.  And it's ready in about 15 minutes!

    pan-seared cod with bourbon sauce on a plate

    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.

    Bring Maple Syrup To a Boil + Simmer
    Bring Honey To a Boil + Simmer

    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.

    Add Vinegar + Bourbon
    Add Vinegar + Bourbon

    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.

    bourbon sauce being poured onto cod

    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 bourbon sauce on a plate
    pan-seared cod with bourbon sauce on a plate
    Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.89 from 27 votes

    Pan-Seared Cod with Kentucky Bourbon

    This Pan-Seared Cod with Kentucky Bourbon features flaky white cod topped with a sweet bourbon sauce. And it’s ready in about 15 minutes!
    Author: Sarah Trenalone
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Total Time15 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 352kcal
    Freezer Friendly?
    No
    Will It Keep?
    No
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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 VERY 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).  

    Notes

    Recipe Variation: Substitute the honey for sorghum syrup (a thick syrup made from sugar cane) or molasses.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 352kcal (18%) | Carbohydrates: 38g (13%) | Protein: 20g (40%) | Fat: 10g (15%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg (21%) | Sodium: 349mg (15%) | Potassium: 510mg (15%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 37g (41%) | Vitamin A: 220IU (4%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 27mg (3%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

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    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    4.89 from 27 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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    Comments

    All commentsI made thisQuestions
    1. Alyssa says

      March 25, 2017 at 11:01 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    2. Rebecca says

      March 26, 2017 at 11:38 pm

      5 stars
      I love the idea of making fish with a bourbon glaze! I'm always looking for new seafood ideas 😀

      Reply
    3. Dawn says

      March 27, 2017 at 8:38 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        March 27, 2017 at 11:40 am

        Yay! Enjoy 🙂

        Reply
    4. Meg says

      March 27, 2017 at 11:37 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        March 27, 2017 at 11:38 am

        lol yes! And if you flip too soon, sometimes it doesn't sear as prettily! Just walk away and let it cook haha 😀

        Reply
    5. champagne-tastes says

      March 27, 2017 at 11:42 am

      It's soooo good this way!!!

      Reply
    6. Anne says

      March 27, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      Can I use molasses instead of sorghum?

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        March 27, 2017 at 5:23 pm

        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!)

        Reply
        • Anne says

          March 27, 2017 at 5:46 pm

          I have gobs of molasses so, I had to ask! I will definitely let you know!

          Reply
          • champagne-tastes says

            March 27, 2017 at 6:18 pm

            Awesome yes! I have so much sorghum that I haven't picked up any molasses recently ????

            Reply
    7. Julie says

      March 30, 2017 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! I have fish in the freezer and bourbon in the cupboard so I'm trying this one tonight!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        March 30, 2017 at 5:18 pm

        Nice! Let me know how you like it!

        Reply
    8. Lisa says

      March 31, 2017 at 5:26 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        March 31, 2017 at 6:25 pm

        Aw man I'd totally go fish shopping with you too!! We could be fish friends lololol. Let me know how you like it!!

        Reply
    9. champagne-tastes says

      April 03, 2017 at 11:54 am

      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!

      Reply
    10. Silvia says

      April 07, 2017 at 11:46 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        April 07, 2017 at 11:51 am

        That's an awesome strategy- you're right it can be a little pricier this way (but not too bad!!)

        Reply
    11. Sophie says

      September 16, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        September 17, 2017 at 6:46 pm

        Aw thank you Sophie!!! I'm glad you loved it!

        Reply
      • Alison Houtz says

        August 19, 2020 at 10:08 pm

        5 stars
        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!

        Reply
        • Sarah Trenalone says

          August 19, 2020 at 10:10 pm

          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!

          Reply
    12. Agness says

      October 05, 2017 at 9:18 am

      This look amazing! Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes says

        October 05, 2017 at 9:18 am

        Thanks Agness! You sure can!

        Reply
    13. Nola says

      January 27, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      What alcohol can I substitute for bourbon?

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        January 27, 2019 at 10:07 pm

        You could use any unflavored whiskey! I hope that helps!

        Reply
    14. Alynn Spink says

      February 23, 2019 at 6:16 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious

      Reply
    15. Susie says

      December 21, 2019 at 12:38 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy!

      Reply
      • Sarah Trenalone says

        December 21, 2019 at 9:24 pm

        Yay! I'm glad you loved it 🙂

        Reply
    16. Dallas says

      April 22, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      5 stars
      The sauce = I need to make a tub of it. Amazing. Simple. Fast. Must make!!!

      Reply
      • Sarah Trenalone says

        April 22, 2020 at 12:14 pm

        Yay! It's one of my favorites too, I'm so glad you loved it!

        Reply
    17. Amanda says

      May 18, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Sarah Trenalone says

        May 18, 2020 at 9:21 pm

        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 😀

        Reply
    18. Kathy says

      November 13, 2020 at 7:32 pm

      2 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Sarah Trenalone says

        November 13, 2020 at 7:35 pm

        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.

        Reply
    19. Alisha Trenalone says

      September 16, 2021 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Disclaimer: I am an employee of Champagne Tastes, but made this recipe on my own time and opinions are my own!

      Reply
    20. Marilyn says

      July 02, 2022 at 8:07 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! We had haddock and I think that was a problem. They were about 6 oz pieces. I left it in the pan just like you said, it didn’t burn, but the skin got too hard to eat…I doubled the sauce like Alison and should have cooked it down more. I am definitely going to try this again with cod. Maybe reduce the honey a touch and increase the bourbon!
      We all sat and continued to eat the crispy skin…delicious!!!

      Reply
      • Alisha Trenalone says

        July 03, 2022 at 1:06 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it so much, and hope your next try goes even better! Thanks for letting us know.

        -Alisha at Champagne Tastes

        Reply
    21. Maggie says

      October 05, 2022 at 10:00 am

      5 stars
      OMG! so delicious. I served it with baby roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas. This is a keeper.

      Reply
      • Alisha Trenalone says

        October 05, 2022 at 10:09 am

        Fantastic! Glad you loved it, and thanks for letting us know 😄

        -Alisha at Champagne Tastes

        Reply
    22. WV Phil says

      March 01, 2023 at 6:57 pm

      5 stars
      This is tied for my number one favorite dish now! I served rice and sautéed asparagus on the side… my daughter said the whole dish was like something you would order at a fancy restaurant, lol!

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Alisha Trenalone says

        March 02, 2023 at 7:37 pm

        That's wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for letting us know 😀

        - Alisha at Champagne Tastes

        Reply
    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

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