This Baked Cod Recipe is a satisfying and flavorful cod dish with butter and garlic. Guaranteed to become your new favorite dish. Everything comes together easily and quickly in one small baking dish, making the preparation and the cleanup minimal. All it takes is cod fillets, butter, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Super simple and over-the-top delicious baked cod fillets are here!
We love easy, healthy fish dishes like this Oven Baked Salmon and Instant Pot Salmon for Two (5 Ingredients). This baked cod is just as easy to make and requires ingredients you have on hand in your pantry or freezer.
Just about anything with butter and garlic also makes my mouth water. So it’s no surprise that this Baked Cod Recipe is a huge hit. The cod comes out buttery, flaky, and wonderfully moist. This is one our favorite baked cod fish recipes and will readily become one of your favorites for baked cod fish fillets.
What I Love About This Baked Cod Recipe
Foolproof. Making baked cod in the oven is one of the easiest recipes that is hard to mess up. Just don't forget you have cod in the oven and you can nail this!
Fresh or Frozen Cod. You can use fresh cod or frozen cod in this recipe, it's all about what is readily available and is easier on your meal budget. I use frozen cod fish fillets or cod fish loins that come individually wrapped. It is easy to pull out the number of cod fillets you want to bake for the evening meal, quickly defrost them, and then get read to bake the cod fillet.
Pantry Ingredients. Besides the cod, you will use butter, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. If you prefer, you can use a fresh lemon.
No Fuss No Muss. Melt the butter and garlic in your baking dish while your oven preheats! Add the cod and turn to coat in the butter and garlic. Season and bake.
Easy Cleanup. One baking dish for preparation and cleaning makes for one dish to clean. You can choose the size of your baking dish depending upon the number of servings you want to make.
This baked cod fish recipe is an easy, always foolproof, inexpensive fish recipes that can be prepared at the last minute and baked in no time. For a healthy weeknight recipe, you will find this to be one of the best baked cod recipes you have tried.
How To Bake Cod
If you want to skip the "how to's" Jump to Recipe
I’m confident you will find out just how easy it is to make delicious baked cod - especially if you were ever afraid to bake fish at home!
- Add the butter and garlic to your baking dish. Put the baking dish in the oven while the oven is preheating. Keep your eye on the butter so it doesn't burn. Brown butter is okay. Then, remove the dish from the oven while it continues preheating.
- Add the cod fillets to the baking dish. Using tongs, turn the cod to coat it in the butter and garlic. Season with the paprika, salt and pepper. (You can add some lemon slices here if you prefer.)
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Check the cod after 12 minutes to see if it is already opaque and flakes easily with a fork. (See note below) If it isn't done, return cod to the oven for another 1 to 3 minutes or until done.
- You are ready to eat! Serve with the optional lemon wedges if you prefer.
- Note: The USDA recommends that an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish registers 145°F. With smaller pieces that is often difficult to do and the visual doneness indicators work well.
Time to bake the best Baked Cod Recipe ever. You will be glad you did.
Baked Cod Recipe (One Dish and 15 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz cod fillets (average of 5 to 8 oz per person) cut in 2 portions
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish optional
- ¼ lemon, cut into wedges optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Add the butter and garlic to a small baking dish. Place the dish in the oven during preheating, until the butter is melted. Remove the dish from the oven.
- Using a paper towel, pat cod fillets dry. Place cod in the baking dish. Using tongs, turn fillets to coat them in butter mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake the cod for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Spoon any juices from pan over the fish.
- Serve the cod garnished with parsley and lemon wedges, if using.
Cooks Tips
Nutrition
Bonnie says
This 15-minute dinner was a godsend with all this virtual learning. No energy for cooking anymore! I even ordered cod online to save grocery shopping time (Lummi was super easy -- https://lummiislandwild.com/our-seafood/wild-pacific-cod/). The prep was painless and the end product was delicious.