Butter Poached Sous Vide Cod

Name: Sous Vide Cod (Butter Poached Cod)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 33 min
Total time: 78 min
Ingredients: 4 cod fillets; 2 tablespoons white miso paste; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature); 8 shiitake mushrooms (sliced (substitute dried and soaked)); 1 garlic clove (minced); 1 tablespoon mirin; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon salt

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If you love butter poached cod, you’ll love this sous vide cod recipe! This tender, flaky and buttery cod takes just 30 minutes to cook in a sous vide water bath and it’s served with the most amazing mushroom sauce. It’s perfect for date night or an everyday meal!

a piece of white fish with mushroom sauce on top.

While cod is an easy fish to cook, it’s also a fish that can be easily overcooked. That’s why I prefer cooking it using the sous vide method. It might take a little longer, but the controlled temperature of the water bath ensures the cod fillets are perfectly cooked and never dry or rubbery!

The fish comes out moist, tender and buttery...not to mention the incredible umami, buttery mushroom sauce poured over the top. It's perfection in every way!

Don’t get me wrong, I love cod prepared in all different ways! On the grill, baked in the oven or seared in a hot skillet. In fact, pan frying cod is how we make these cod fish tacos all the time!

But, to ensure flaky and moist fish every time (like this sous vide salmon), there’s no better way to cook it than the sous vide! Using a sous vide just takes the guesswork out of cooking fish and you don’t need to keep a close eye on it either!

This gives me plenty of time to make some side dishes like these truffled mashed potatoes and this Instant Pot broccoli. Both are perfect with this buttery cod recipe!

Jump to:

Why this sous vide cod recipe works
Ingredients
What is cod fish?
Step by step instructions to make butter poached cod
Expert tips
Frequently asked questions
Make it a meal
More sous vide fish recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why this sous vide cod recipe works

The recipe is elegant enough for date night and easy enough for weeknight dinners! The butter poached flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture make this cod dish impressive for any occasion!
Speaking of melt-in-your-mouth, that’s really made possible by using the sous vide. Just like poaching cod in butter, cooking the cod in a heated water bath infuses it with melted butter flavor and keeps the fish moist so it turns out tender and succulent!
The mild flavor of cod means it pairs well with a variety of different seasonings. That’s why we can get away with adding the umami flavor of white miso paste to this recipe. It makes the cod and the mushroom sauce both taste amazing!

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Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 4 cod fillets for this recipe. I used Pacific cod fillets with the skin removed.

The cod is cooked with white miso paste. This is a type of miso where the soybeans are fermented with rice. It has a mild, sweet and umami flavor.

For additional flavor, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of mirin, which is a sweet Japanese rice wine. If you don’t have any mirin, you can try substituting dry sherry.

For the mushroom sauce, the recipe calls for 8 shiitake mushrooms (sliced). If you can’t find any, you can use dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them before using.

What is cod fish?

Cod is a white, firm and flaky fish with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. It’s often compared to haddock, tilapia or even halibut. It can be farm-raised or wild-caught, with two varieties being Atlantic and Pacific cod.

Step by step instructions to make butter poached cod

Step 1: Heat a sous vide water bath to 130°F degrees. Salt the fish and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Mix together the butter and miso to make a paste.

Step 3: Combine all the ingredients (except mushrooms) in a vacuum seal bag and seal.

fish filets cooking in a sous vide water bath.

Step 4: Cook for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms.

mushrooms cooking in liquid in a skillet.

Step 6: Remove the fish from the bag and set aside. Add the bag juice to the mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes.

**If the sauce is too thick, add some additional butter.

Step 7: Spoon the mushroom sauce over the fish and serve.

a plate with a piece of fish with mushrooms sauce.

Expert tips

To ensure the cod fillets cook evenly, make sure they’re all the same thickness. (The loin part of the fillet is usually thicker than the tail end).If your fillets are thicker, you may need to increase the cooking time by about 15 minutes.
You’ll want to make sure the fillets are arranged in the sealable bag in a single layer. This will help them cook evenly.
The sealed bag should also be completely submerged in the water bath. I like using one of these sous vide weights to prevent it from floating.
If the bag starts to float due to air getting in, just open the bag, remove the air and reseal it.
Keep the bag juice (the juice from the bag the cod is cooked in) to make the mushroom sauce. If the sauce turns out too thick, just melt in some more butter.
You can substitute dried shiitake mushrooms if you can’t find any fresh. Just soak them in hot water for 30 minutes until they’re softened. Squeeze the excess water out, slice them and discard the stems.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to salt the cod before cooking it?

Yes! I highly recommend salting the cod first and letting it sit for 30 minutes. This seasons the flesh and helps prevent it from drying out as it cooks.

Do you need to pan sear the cod before serving?

No! While it’s common to brown proteins in a skillet after they come out of the sous vide water bath, you don’t need to do that with this butter poached cod. Doing so may actually overcook it. (If you leave the skin on, however, I suggest a quick sear in a hot skillet to crisp up the skin).

Can you sous vide cod with the skin on?

While I used cod with the skin removed, you can leave the skin on if you prefer. In this case, I would recommend crisping the skin before serving. To do this, place the cod skin side down in a hot skillet and sear for just 30-60 seconds, or until the skin has crisped. (Be careful not to sear it for too long as you may overcook the fish).

Can you use frozen cod for this recipe?

Yes! If you have frozen cod, you can either let it defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking it, or you can sous vide from frozen by adding another 15 minutes to the water bath time.

How to store and reheat sous vide cod.

Leftover cod and mushroom sauce can be stored together in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

To reheat, place the cod and sauce in a shallow baking dish covered with foil and warm in the oven on 275F degrees until heated through. You can also reheat it in a covered skillet on the stovetop over low heat.

Be careful not to reheat for too long as the cod may dry out and get tough and rubbery. If the sauce has thickened or there isn’t much left, just add a little melted butter to the cod as it reheats.

a dish of fish filets with mushrooms sauce.

Make it a meal

This buttery sous vide cod goes well with so many dishes! Here are a few ways we like to make it a full course meal!

For an elegant meal, start with some sous vide lobster tail or go casual with some jalapeño hush puppies.
In terms of side dishes, cod pairs nicely with black truffle risotto, garlic mashed potatoes or duck fat crispy smashed potatoes.
For some extra veggies, we love Instant Pot Brussels sprouts, air fryer broccoli or Instant Pot carrots.

More sous vide fish recipes

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Recipe

fish filets on a serving platter with mushrooms on top.

Sous Vide Cod (Butter Poached Cod)

Sous vide cod is an easy way to prepare butter poached cod, with a tender, flaky and buttery texture and a delicious mushroom sauce!

4.74 from 15 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 33

Resting Time: 30

Total Time: 1 18

Servings: servings

Calories: 848kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

▢ 4 cod fillets
▢ 2 tablespoons white miso paste
▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
▢ 8 shiitake mushrooms sliced (substitute dried and soaked)
▢ 1 garlic clove minced
▢ 1 tablespoon mirin
▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 130°F degrees.
Salt the fish and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Mix together the butter and miso to make a paste.
Combine all the ingredients (except mushrooms) in a vacuum seal bag and seal.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms. **If using dried shiitakes, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes, until they are softened. Squeeze the excess water out and slice, discarding the stems.
Remove the fish from the bag and set aside. Add the bag juice to the mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes. (If the sauce is too thick, add some additional butter).
Spoon the mushroom sauce over the fish and serve.

Expert Tips:

To ensure the cod fillets cook evenly, make sure they’re all the same thickness. (The loin part of the fillet is usually thicker than the tail end).If your fillets are thicker, you may need to increase the cooking time by about 15 minutes.

You’ll want to make sure the fillets are arranged in the sealable bag in a single layer. This will help them cook evenly.

The sealed bag should also be completely submerged in the water bath. I like using one of these sous vide weights to prevent it from floating.

If the bag starts to float due to air getting in, just open the bag, remove the air and reseal it.

Keep the bag juice (the juice from the bag the cod is cooked in) to make the mushroom sauce. If the sauce turns out too thick, just melt in some more butter.

You can substitute dried shiitake mushrooms if you can’t find any fresh. Just soak them in hot water for 30 minutes until they’re softened. Squeeze the excess water out, slice them and discard the stems.