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Updated: August 29, 2025
Today was a mixed emotions eating day. Part of me wanted to be healthy and cook salmon for dinner, which is full of healthy fats and protein. The other part of me wanted something savory, like bacon and brown sugar, with a side of bourbon! So as I sat conflicted with myself, I decided – hey why not have both!? I took a chance on this recipe, without really knowing how the flavors would turn out, and boy was I surprised! This dish was too yummy and easy not to share!
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I love cooking with salmon because it can easily absorb whatever glaze you cook it in. I recommend prepping as many of the ingredients as you can ahead of time, since this dish can move quickly. To prep the bacon, I simply took 4 slices and baked these in the oven until crispy. While the bacon was baking, I measured out my brown sugar, butter, and bourbon. I also cleaned and chopped my salmon to prepare it for sautéing.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as our family did tonight! I recommend using a good quality bourbon for this dish. If you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t cook with it in your dish! We used Bulleit Bourbon since it is very smooth with notes of vanilla that pair well with brown sugar. I also recommend watching the heat and adjusting the temperature on your stovetop when pouring bourbon into your pan. Alcohol can be very flammable, so you should use caution and never pour directly from the bottle, but from a measuring cup to avoid a fire mishap. You could also remove the pan from the flame completely to avoid any fire flare-ups. Lastly, be sure to pour a glass for yourself to enjoy while cooking this dish! It will be a family favorite for sure! Let me know what you think in the comments down below!
Bourbon Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 filets Wild Caught Salmon
- 4 slices Bacon
- 1/3 cup Bourbon
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Butter
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (204 C). Bake 4 slices of bacon in the oven until bacon slices are crispy. While your bacon is baking in the oven, clean salmon filets and remove skin. Pat salmon filets dry, season with salt and pepper and set aside. TIP: It is good to cook fish that is not cold, so that it cooks more evenly.
- Once bacon is crispy, remove from oven and place inside of a food processor. To the food processor, add 1/4 cup of light brown sugar. Pulse and chop ingredients together until bacon brown sugar crumbles are formed. Remove crumbles from food processor, and place inside of a bowl, set aside.
- Take a nonstick frying pan, and melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, stir until a brown sugar gravy is formed. After bourbon and butter are combined, place salmon filets on top of gravy. Once salmon filets are in the pan, do not fidget with them. Allow them to cook undisturbed without flipping until salmon is almost cooked through.
- Once salmon filets are almost cooked, flip each to the other side, and use a spoon to rub on brown sugar bacon crumbles. Once filets are covered with brown sugar bacon crumbles, lower heat and slowly pour in 1/3 cup bourbon. As salmon finishes up cooking, slightly tilt the frying pan and use a spoon to scoop up bourbon and brown sugar renderings and drizzle this back on top of the salmon for one minute. Turn off heat and remove salmon. Enjoy!
This looks so delicous !!! I cant wait to try !!!!
We actually had salmon for dinner tonight. I wish I would have seen this recipe sooner. Looks delicious.
Well you got the best of both worlds. i am curious though of how it tastes. i am sure its delicious
That looks fantastic. I love the bacon and bourbon in that sauce. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tastier-looking salmon recipe!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I make salmon for the family all the time, but with only three variations, it’s getting stale. This looks delicious!
Oh, yum. I can almost taste that delicious sauce right now. I love this flavor profile, and I can’t wait to try it on salmon.
Oh wow this looks absolutely amazing! I would love to combine salmon and bacon together!
This looks delicious! My family and I love salmon, I’m going to give this a try. Thank you.
oh my world!! i actually have a salmon thats frozen , so will give your recipie a go as it looks delicious
Wow! Everything i love in one recipe! Never thought of combining bacon with salmon, but this looks so appetizing. Might give it a try! Thank you for sharing!
Wow! This looks really delicious. Imagine my two favorites combined. How I wish I saw this recipe earlier and I have included this in our New Year’s Day Celebration. Anyway, will try this next week. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
The way you cooked it so golden makes it look so delicious. Salmon is my favorite dish and I can’t wait to try this recipe as well.