Our easy Baked Cod is the best way to enjoy this flavorful white fish for dinner tonight! Baked to perfection with a garlic herb butter and fresh lemon slices. The whole family is going to love this healthy meal that can be served with any of your favorite side dish recipes!
The Best Baked Cod Recipe Ever
Unless you are new around here, you know that we have been making baked salmon and baked tilapia for years! We knew it was time to perfect a baked cod fish recipe too. And this easy baked cod recipe doesn’t disappoint! You will definitely be adding it to your fish recipes on those busy weeknights. We like to add a little glass of white wine to the dinner table while enjoying these buttery cod fillets over a bed of rice and a side of roasted veggies!
And if you love this cod recipe, you definitely need to try our Baked Fish Nuggets! A healthy spin on those classic fish sticks that kids love. Or turn your Baked Cod into the best Cod Tacos!
What You Will Need
- fresh cod fillets – you should be able to find this lean protein at your local grocery store or use frozen cod, just make sure it is fully thawed.
- kosher salt & black pepper – a little bit of these simple seasonings that are always a must when cooking any type of fish or meat.
- minced garlic – everything is always better with some fresh garlic in the mix, including herbed butter!
- butter – the base of the most flavorful herbed butter that is so easy to make at home and adds so much flavor.
- fresh herbs – we used fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano, but fresh parsley would be good too!
- lemon – placing lemon slices or lemon wedges in the baking dish bring a light & refreshing acidity, plus it’s a great way to keep the cod from drying out.
- tartar sauce – we highly recommend making a homemade tartar sauce, but you can also use your favorite store-bought version.
How To Make Baked Cod
The first steps to making this healthy recipe is to place the cod fillets in a baking dish and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the herby butter mixture.
Spread the garlic butter over the top of the cod fillets and place the sliced lemon around this flaky fish.
Place all the tartar sauce ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
How Long To Bake Cod
In a preheated oven at 425 degrees F, these fresh fish fillets will bake for approx. 15-20 minutes of cooking time or until the internal temperature reaches approx. 140 degrees F. For smaller/thinner pieces it will take closer to 14-15 minutes, while thicker pieces will take closer to 20-21 minutes.
Best Ways To Serve Baked Cod
This simple baked cod is so versatile and can be served with just about anything at your next dinner party! When we make this for an easy weeknight dinner, we try to keep our side dishes easy and on the healthy side. A few of our favorites are a rice pilaf, cauliflower rice, roasted frozen vegetables, steamed green beans, sautéed spinach, air fryer asparagus, or some easy roasted potatoes. A thick slice of crusty bread would also be great for soaking up the melted butter goodness!
Recipe FAQ
No, our baked cod doesn’t require any flipping during the cooking process. Having the lemon slices under the fish fillets helps to circulate the heat around them.
We love the combination of fresh herbs, butter, and lemon for this recipe, but feel free to switch-up some of the flavors. You could swap out some of the fresh herbs, toss some cherry tomatoes in the baking dish, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese after baking, or some red pepper flakes for a little kick of heat.
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Baked Cod
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Dreamy Baked Cod is topped with a delicious garlic herbed butter + surrounded by fresh lemons! Flaky, delicious and perfect with tartar sauce!
Ingredients
Baked Cod:
- 4 (6oz) fresh cod fillets (approx. 1 inch thick)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, minced (thyme, rosemary and oregano)
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Tartar Sauce:
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Claussen pickles (spears)
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sweet yellow onion, chopped
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place cod filets in a baking dish. Pat dry with clean paper towel. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- In a small bowl combine butter, garlic, and herbs. Take herbed butter and divide between cod filets, spreading over the top of each piece.
- Place lemon slices around the cod filets and then place in the oven, middle rack and uncovered.
- Let bake approx. 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp reaches approx. 140 degrees F. (for smaller/thinner pieces this will take closer to 14-15 minutes while thicker pieces will take closer to 20-21 minutes).
- While the cod bakes, make the Tartar Sauce: In order to remove some of the excess water from the pickles (no one wants watery tartar sauce), lay each spear on its side on a cutting board and cut off the seeds. Cut remaining part of the pickle into small pieces and then using either a cheesecloth or clean hands, squeeze out as much remaining liquid as possible. Add prepared pickles to food processor along with mayo, dill, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, and onion. Blend until consistency is smooth (don’t over-blend). Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Remove cod from oven and cool slightly. Serve with tartar sauce, rice and roasted vegetables.
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a plant-based butter.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 95.6 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
- Protein: 15.8 g
- Cholesterol: 69.6 mg
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