Costco Beer Battered Cod - Crispy Air Fryer + Serving Ideas
Trident Seafoods Beer Battered Cod at Costco
Costco sells a 2.5-pound box of Trident Seafood Beer Battered Cod for $17.99. The beer-battered cod can be found in the frozen food aisles near other items such as the tortilla crusted tilapia, everything seasoning cod, and tempura shrimp.
Each box of Costco’s beer battered cod contains 13 pieces of wild-caught Alaska Cod.
Have You Tried Costco's Beer Battered Cod?
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Trident Seafood at Costco
This is one of many products that Trident Seafoods has at Costco’s across the country. Trident Seafood also sells their fish sticks as well as their salmon burger at Costco.
The fish sticks are just ok, but I am a big fan of the salmon burger. I’m hoping their beer battered Cod is on par with their salmon burgers!
Why doesn’t Trident Seafood brag about their Beer Battered Cod?
What bugs me the most about Trident Seafoods’ beer battered Cod is that they don’t give you much information about exactly what you are buying.
The item is called beer battered cod, but what else does the box really say about the item? Not Much!
Trident Seafood isn’t telling me much about the alleged wild-caught Alaska Cod they are using or even the beer battering, which is supposed to be one of the main selling points.
There isn’t anything on the box that really describes the fish or the product.
This is concerning to me, because the lack of information leads me to assume there is nothing about this cod to brag about. We all know if they had a truly fantastic ingredient or specific catch or cooking method that, it would be plastered all over the box.
If they say nothing about their product, what does that mean?
Not Just Trident Seafood
This isn’t just a Trident Seafoods issue; many other Costco frozen food items choose not to or can not brag about their food.
Costco Cost Comparison
How Much Does the Beer Battered Cod Cost at Costco?
The Costco Beer-Battered Cod now sells for $17.99, and like most other items over the past year, it has increased in price. It was in “pricey” territory to begin with, but now it seems “expensive.”
At the price of $17.99, Costco’s beer battered cod goes for $7.20 per pound. This is definitely expensive for frozen food, but it is reasonable for cod. Costco’s fresh cod sells for $7.99 a pound.
Using batter and the presumably lower-quality cod helps decrease the price.
Costco vs. The Competition
It doesn’t appear that any other retailers sell this exact Trident Seafood Beer Battered Cod that Costco is selling, but Target’s fried fish option will be the closest.
Target sells 12 ounces of Trident Seafoods Pubhouse Battered Cod for $6.49. This is a per pound price of $8.65, which is a 20% increase over Costco’s beer battered cod price.
Costco Beer Battered Cod - Taste Test
I used Trident Seafoods air fryer cooking instructions for the fish, and they came out very crispy. In fact, I could have cooked them for a few minutes less as they did come out a little too dark for my liking.
As a whole, Costco’s beer-battered cod is just ok. The fish was very respectable, but the breading/binding had a funky taste.
The cod is pretty tasty and enjoyable when paired with a dip such as tartar sauce, malt vinegar, or even ketchup.
The Breading/Binding
The beer batter is super crispy, and Trident Seafoods did a great job with it. It is flavorful and has the right balance of crispy and bite-through.
My issue with the breading will be the binding that connects the fish and the fried beer batter. The binding is thicker than it should be and does have a funky taste that is hard to explain.
There is just something about the binding that doesn’t sit right with me.
I attempted to eat just the binding, but it was extremely salty, so I couldn’t really grasp the specific taste, which bothered me.
Wild Alaska Cod
The cod itself is great. It’s not the highest quality fish, but more than adequate for a frozen fried fish fillet. The Wild Alaska Cod is both firm and flakey as well as delicious.
The fish is perfectly moist and looks, tastes, and feels great.
I am more than satisfied with the quality and preparation of the fish in Costco’s beer battered cod.
Serving Suggestions
Trident Seafoods offers a few different serving suggestions for their beer battered cod fillets. Of course, the easiest way to eat the cod would be as fish and chips.
In fact, their first two serving suggestions essentially make a fish and chip dish with their fried cod.
Serve with:
- Tartar Sauce or Malt Vinegar
- French Fries – Regular or Sweet Potato Fries
- Alongside your favorite coleslaw recipe
- In a taco with shredded cabbage and sriracha mayo.
As pictured above, I created my own fish and chips dish with homemade tartar sauce using avocado mayo. I also tried the cod in a fish taco with homemade sriracha mayo. Very tasty!
Beer Battered Cod Cooking Directions
How to Cook the Beer Battered Cod from Costco?
There are two different cooking methods for the beer battered cod. You can either bake them in the oven or air fry the cod. I, of course, will be air frying the beer battered cod.
Microwave cooking is not recommended, and when using the baking or air frying cooking method, the cod’s internal temperature should reach 145°F.
Conventional Oven
- Preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Place frozen cod fillet(s) on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Cook for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Flip halfway through.
Air Fryer Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer temperature to 400°F.
- Place frozen fish in a single layer.
- Do now overcrowd the frozen cod!
- Cook for 13 to 14 minutes.
- Flip halfway through.
From my personal experience, the cod came out a little overdone at 13 minutes. I can get away with about 11 minutes, but always make sure your beer-battered cod comes out at 145°F or higher.
Nutritional Information
Each package of Costco beer battered cod is going to contain 13 pieces that weigh about 3 ounces each. Each 3-ounce fried fish fillet is going to have 170 calories coming from 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of protein.
This is a reasonably normal nutritional label for a frozen seafood product like this. I do wish there were just a touch less carbs.
High Sodium
The macronutrients for Trident’s beer battered fish aren’t the worst, but the sodium is something to be concerned with at 380 mg or 17% of the daily recommended value.
Eating three Costco beer battered cod fillets isn’t going to be hard, but they will be 54% of the recommended daily value of sodium.
Costco Food Database User Reviews
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Crispy Costco Beer Battered Cod (Air Fryer)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 Beer Battered Cod from Costco
- Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer temperature to 400°F.
- Place frozen fish in a single layer.
- Do now overcrowd the frozen cod!
- Cook for 13 to 14 minutes.
- Flip halfway through.
- Serve with french fries for your own homemade fish and chips.
Notes
Nutrition
Greg Larkin is the founder and managing editor of Costco Food Database, the premiere site for honest takes on all things Costco food. A self-proclaimed Costco super-fan since childhood, Greg turned his obsession in a mission to properly rate and review all of Costco’s delicious buys. When he’s not busy navigating Costco aisles, you can find Greg smoking Kirkland Signature meats, meal prepping, or perfecting his homemade jerky recipes.
Thanks for your opinion. I have doused this dish with malt vinegar. You are right about the binder. It’s a little gooey. I am going to make my own batter next week and try that with cod. I also like to do my own chips.
Thanks for sharing. The beer-battered cod is solid, but not the highest quality seafood option at Costco.