This miso honey butter cod might just be one of my new favorite weeknight meals. It comes together in about 20 minutes, start to finish, with big flavor and minimal cooking. The magic is all in the miso honey butter—a compound butter made with (you guessed it) miso, honey, butter, and fresh lime juice. The idea comes from Tom Stracker, who’s basically the butter king at this point, so credit where credit is due. I didn’t invent this combo, but it’s fantastic—and it’s been on heavy rotation around here. I’ve used it on pan-seared flounder, tossed it with fresh corn and lima beans, and have plans to sear scallops with it soon. (Recipe coming soon!)
For this dish, I served the cod with a frisée and fennel salad layered with fresh peaches, Castelvetrano olives, shallots, and a champagne vinaigrette. Really, it was just a mix of whatever produce I had on hand—but it turned out totally delicious. The bitter greens, sweet peaches, and crisp fennel is a great combo. Ok, now onto the recipe…
The magic is all in the miso honey butter—a compound butter made with (you guessed it) miso, honey, butter, and fresh lime juice.
What is Miso Honey Butter?
Miso honey butter is a compound butter made by blending white miso paste, butter, honey, and fresh lime juice. It’s rich, sweet, savory and a little acidic. Perfect to pair with fish.
Compound butters like this one are a bit of an at home cheat for big flavor—you can keep a batch in the fridge or freezer and use it to quickly transform seafood, vegetables, or grilled meat into something extraordinary.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 2 cod fillets – You can also substitute with any fish you like or even scallops. I made this with flounder recently and it was delicious.
For the miso honey butter:
- 2 tbsp white miso – Salty, mild and full of flavor.
- 8 tbsp butter – A good quality butter, salted or unsalted.
- 1 lime – Juiced, you need a little acid here to cut through the richness of the miso butter.
- 1 tbsp honey – Sweetens everything up and balances out the compound butter.
For the Salad:
- 1 head frisée – Washed well and cut, or torn, into roughly bite-sized pieces.
- 1 fennel bulb – Thinly sliced and soaked in ice water to get it super crisp.
- 1 peach – Thinly sliced. You could also use any other stone fruit you like, nectarines, plums, apricots, even cherries would work.
- Castelvetrano olives – Pitted and torn in half.
- 1/2 shallot – Thinly sliced and rinsed in cold water to help get rid of any excess sharpness.
For the Champagne Vinaigrette:
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar – You could also use white wine or rice wine vinegar for this.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey – Or a small pinch of sugar. Just a little sweetness helps balance out the dressing.
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt + pepper
Step-by-Step: How to Make Miso Honey Butter Cod
- Make The Miso Honey Butter
In a food processor, blend your butter, miso paste, honey, and lime juice until very smooth. Set aside. - Make Your Dressing
Combine the vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk until emulsified. - Sear Your Fish
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear cod fillets in a little oil until golden brown on one side. Flip, add a few spoonfuls of miso butter, and reduce the heat. Baste the fish with the melted butter until cooked through and flaky. - Make The Salad
Toss your frisée, sliced fennel, peach, olives, and shallots with the champagne vinaigrette. - Serve it up!
Place cod fillets on a plate and spoon over extra miso butter. Serve alongside the frisée, fennel, and peach salad and a generous side of rice.
FAQs About Miso Honey Butter Cod
What is miso butter made of?
Miso butter is a simple compound butter made with butter, white miso paste, and often a balancing ingredient like honey, lime, or garlic.
Can I use frozen cod for this recipe?
Yes! I would recommend getting fresh cod for this, but I used frozen cod here, it was what I had. Just make sure to thaw it completely and pat it dry before cooking. You won’t get a nice sear on the fish if it’s wet.
What type of miso is best for cod?
White miso (shiro miso) works best since it’s mild, slightly sweet, and won’t overpower the fish.
Can I make the miso honey butter ahead of time?
Absolutely! This recipe will also make more miso butter than needed for this recipe. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Easy Seafood Recipes to Try:
Shrimp Pil Pil (Chili Garlic Shrimp) – Grilled shrimp tossed in a chili garlic sauce with sambal oelek and lemon. This shrimp pil pil recipe is a spicy, summery take on a beloved dish inspired by a legendary Philly restaurant.
Sautéed Shrimp – Sautéed shrimp in a red pepper butter. Quickly cooked shrimp get tossed in a spicy homemade red pepper compound butter.
Easy Grilled Scallops with Chimichurri – This grilled scallops recipe is simple, quick, and packed with flavor. Perfectly seared scallops get topped with a bright chimichurri sauce for an easy seafood dinner!
Pink Crab Caesar Salad – Make this stunning pink radicchio and crab Caesar salad with radicchio, blood orange dressing, and crispy pumpernickel croutons. A vibrant twist on a classic that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Tomato Tonnato – The classic Italian tuna sauce served with tomatoes, fried capers, and crispy breadcrumbs.
Pane e Pomodoro with Anchovies – Pane e pomodoro is proof that the simplest ingredients make the best dishes. Toasted bread, ripe tomatoes, and this version is topped with white anchovies (boquerones). So easy, quick, and absolutely delicious!
Octopus Salad with Potatoes and Olives – This octopus salad with potatoes and olives is ready in minutes thanks to canned octopus. Tossed with lemon, parsley, capers, and olive oil, it’s a light Mediterranean lunch or easy starter.
Did you make this Miso Honey Butter Cod with Frisée, Fennel, and Peaches?
Leave a rating and comment below—or tag @TheMostHungry on Instagram. I can’t wait to see it!
Miso Honey Butter Cod with Frisée, Fennel, and Peaches
Ingredients
- 2 cod fillets
For The Miso Honey Butter
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 lime – juiced
- 1 tbsp honey
The Salad
- 1 head frisée
- 1 fennel – thinly sliced
- 1 peach – thinly sliced
- Castelvetrano olives – pitted and torn
- 1/2 shallot – thinly sliced
The Champagne Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt + pepper
Instructions
- Blend the butter, miso, honey, and lime until smooth.
- To make the dressing, combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Sear cod over medium-high heat. Flip and add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of miso butter. Lower heat and baste with the butter to finish cooking on the other side.
- While the cod finishes cooking, toss together frisée, fennel, peach, olives, shallot, and dressing.
- Serve with rice and extra miso butter over the fish.
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Hi, I'm Rachel — the cook, photographer, and recipe developer behind Most Hungry.
This is my go-to spot for bold, approachable recipes rooted in Italian and Italian-American cooking, from hand-rolled fresh pasta to fall-off-the-bone ribs. Great food should be fun, doable, and absolutely delicious. Learn more about me →
