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GET IT NOWMy Baked Cod Recipe Is Flaky, Buttery, And So Easy
One of my favorite things ever is showing you my super simple staples for a busy weeknight dinner… like this baked cod. This easy 20-minute meal isn’t fancy. Instead, like many of my other fish recipes, it’s the one for nights I’d rather be with my family instead of in the kitchen. For nights when I’m just tired. For nights I get home and it’s already dinnertime. Here’s why it’s perfect for those:
- Perfectly moist, flaky cod – This is a lean fish, so some cod recipes can be easy to dry out. Not this one!
- Bright, lemony, and buttery – The flavor of cod isn’t as rich as my baked salmon or rainbow trout, but that means the lemon butter sauce gets to shine! I love the way it brightens up the fish. (If you’re a fan of this combo with seafood, you’ll also enjoy it in my pan fried tilapia, garlic butter shrimp, or halibut recipes.)
- Quick and easy – My oven baked cod recipe has fast, hands-off prep and needs just 5 ingredients (plus a little salt and pepper). The only faster way I’ve cooked cod is in the air fryer, but this baked version only needs your oven.
If you’re having one of those nights, don’t stress — take a deep breath and bake cod in the oven with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my baked cod recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Cod – I prefer wild-caught, but you can use any cod fish you’ve got. Look for fillets that are about 4 ounces each and similar in thickness, so that they cook at the same rate. You can use larger ones too, they’ll just take a tiny bit longer to bake.
- Butter – Hello, flavor! I use unsalted butter so that I can control the salt separately, but feel free to use salted and just add less salt to the fish. You can substitute olive oil, but obviously the flavor isn’t the same.
- Lemon – You’ll need a fresh lemon (not bottled juice) for my baked cod recipe, because I use both lemon zest and the lemon juice. You won’t regret it!
- Garlic Powder – It’s the most convenient option, but I swap in a couple cloves of fresh minced or crushed garlic when I have the extra time.
- Fresh Parsley – You can also substitute fresh dill, chives, or thyme. I recommend fresh herbs here, since you’ll sprinkle them on at the end. If you need to use dried parsley, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon and mix it with the lemon butter before brushing it on.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I keep the spices simple. You can add a dash of paprika, onion powder, Italian seasoning, or even my lemon pepper seasoning if you want something extra.
How To Bake Cod
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Mix the lemon butter. Melt the butter in a shallow bowl in the microwave (or a saucepan on the stove also works), then stir in the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Season the fish. Arrange the cod fillets in a baking dish. Pat dry with paper towels, then brush the melted butter mixture over both sides. Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.
- Bake cod in the oven. It’s done when it’s opaque and flake easily with a fork, but see my tips below to avoid drying it out!
Don’t forget to drizzle the fish with the lemon butter sauce from the pan! I also like to garnish my baked cod recipe with lemon wedges or slices, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top.
My Recipe Tips
- I recommend thicker fillets for all my cod recipes, which dry out less. You can use regular cod fillets (vertical cuts from the side of the fish) or cod loin (thicker fillet cut from larger fish). Either will work, but I prefer cod loin, which has larger flakes.
- I usually thaw my fillets first for more even cooking, but my baked cod recipe also works from frozen. Just rinse to remove any ice, pat dry, and proceed with the recipe. Frozen cod will take an extra 5-10 minutes to bake.
- A quality lemon squeezer and citrus zester makes cooking this dish much more enjoyable. I had others in the past, and I hated juicing and zesting lemons. The ones I’ve linked here are what I have now — they make it fun, effortless, and take half the time!
- Make sure your baking dish is large enough to have space between fillets. If they are crowded, baking cod will take much longer and it won’t cook evenly.
- How long to bake cod? My general rule of thumb is to bake cod for 10-12 minutes per inch of thickness, but I always use my instant-read thermometer to make sure it’s perfect. I recommend removing cod from the oven at 135-140 degrees F, when it’s flaky but still moist. You can aim for 145 degrees F if you like it more well done.
- Variation: Toss in some cherry tomatoes! I do this sometimes and they add this amazing flavor as they burst while baking. It reminds me of my friend’s pan fried cod recipe, except it’s baked… and oh-so-buttery.
Baked Cod Recipe (20 Minutes)
My oven baked cod recipe is tender and flaky, with a dreamy lemon butter sauce! It takes just 20 minutes, with 5 simple ingredients.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). You can bake the cod fillets from frozen or thaw them first in a bowl of cold water. (I prefer thawing if you have time, as it makes it easier to brush on the butter without solidifying.)
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Use paper towels to pat the cod fillets dry. Arrange them in a single layer in a 9×13 baking dish.
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In a small bowl in the microwave or saucepan on the stove, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
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Brush the lemon butter over the cod fillets. Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Flip and repeat both lemon butter and seasoning on the other side.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes (the time will vary by thickness), until the baked cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. For moist, tender flakes, aim for an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees F. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cod fish fillet
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get moist, flaky, and evenly cooked fish every time, plus one of my favorite variations.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Don’t prep the raw cod with lemon butter sauce without baking it, because it will start to turn into (an oddly flavored) ceviche.
- Reheat: I usually reheat baked cod in the oven again, but my air fryer also works well. I don’t recommend microwaving fish because it dries out.
- Freeze: You can freeze the fillets in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months. I line parchment paper between them, so I can separate them for faster thawing later.
- Note on the lemon: An average lemon is about 2 tablespoons of juice and 1 teaspoon of zest. If yours is very large, you might not need to use all of it.
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Baked Cod Recipe
Serving Ideas
My baked cod recipe is seasoned simply, so it goes with just about anything. I usually opt for a vegetable side dish. Here are some of my easy sides to serve with it:
- Asparagus – One of my favorite pairings for fish, and I have so many ways to make it! The easiest is to roast asparagus in the oven at the same time as this recipe for baked cod (in a separate pan), since they need the same temperature. You can also saute asparagus on the stovetop, air fry asparagus for the fastest method, or even wrap asparagus in bacon if you want to get fancy.
- Broccoli Or Cauliflower – Whole roasted cauliflower is amazing when I have time to make it. But let’s be real, for busy weeknights my simple roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, or a mix of broccoli and cauliflower together is more realistic.
- Brussels Sprouts – For a heartier veggie, try my roasted brussels sprouts or smashed brussels sprouts. You’ll just need to start them sooner, since they take longer than baked cod.
- Potatoes – For something starchy, make my simple roasted potatoes (my kids’ fave) or baked sweet potatoes. Or sneak in some veggies with my roasted rutabaga or loaded cauliflower cheese casserole.
More Fish Recipes
If you like my easy baked cod recipe, you might also like some of my other ways to cook fish:
94 Comments
Kelly
0The lemon butter was so good on this cod. Just so bright and delicious!
Kristyn
0So light & refreshing!! Love the lemon flavor! We’ll be making this all summer!
Nic
0Tried this last night, and it was incredible! The lemon zest added a refreshing touch, and the butter made it so rich. Even my picky eater asked for seconds!
Bennie Muncher
0I went over this site and I believe you have a lot of superb information, saved to fav (:
Karen
0I have made this once before and it was very well received. This time, I’m going to reduce some dirty dishes by melting the butter directly in the Pyrex glass baking dish in the microwave while the oven is preheating. Continue with the recipe and roll all sides of the fillet directly into the butter mixture in the Pyrex. Easy peasy. Oh, and I only used 1/2 the amount of butter and then added avocado oil, feels a little healthier without compromising flavor.
Nate
0I made this today and my kids (7yo and 20month old) both loved it. Husband is not a fish lover and still thought it was lovely. 200ºC was a bit high so fish over cooked slightly. The thermometer trick didn’t work, temp wasn’t going up past 45 ºC (new thermometer) but I could see it was cooked so not an issue. Perhaps because they were thin slices but delicious all the same. Thank you! ❤️
Wendi
0Simple and delicious! Thank you!
Connie Martin
0This was delicious – I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, I’m not much of a lemon lover, but it was so good, Just enough lemon, butter and garlic!! And it was simple and easy to make!
Giangi
0Simple and super delicious, this is one of my favorite recipes.
The flavor is ouy of this world, and the cod, my favorite fish, is baked to perfection.
Thank you.
Erin
0This was so easy and I love the lemon flavor! I usually prefer fried fish but this was great! Thanks.
Allie
0This cod turned out sooo good. I love the hint of lemon too! Def going to keep this recipe to make again.
Gina
0Love the simplicity of this dish while still being super flavorful. Lemon and butter are the perfect combo to bring out the flavor of the fresh cod!
Lauren
0Has anyone tried to add capers to this?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lauren, I have not tried that but it would probably a nice addition.
Sarah
0You can’t beat these flavors-lemon butter and garlic. They compliment the cod perfectly and this was delicious served with mashed potatoes.
Lisa Keay
0Delicious and not complicated!
Heather Mussara
0Not bad, but mine needed more flavor. I scaled the recipe for 4 pieces and spooned the sauce over but it feels like was a bit bland.
Diane
0Delicious recipe! The flavors are subtle and oh so good. The combination of the cod flavor with the lemon and the butter is heavenly. I added mushrooms for presentation purposes. The best part of this recipe is the right amount of lemon to butter combination. Sometimes less is better. This recipe lets the flavor of the cod stand out. I served this over angel hair pasta and had carrots and brussels sprouts as the veggie. This dish is just as good as any plate you would get in a fancy NY restaurant.
Derrick Pohl
0Weird. I cooked Pacific cod pieces 1/2” to 1” thick in clear Pyrex 9×13” pan at 400 F, confirmed with two thermometers in oven, for 25 minutes from a mostly thawed state & couldn’t get internal temperature to go above 120 F even though fish was obviously cooked to perfection. Could it be because my meat thermometer is not the instant-read type? Takes up to a minute to give temperature reading.
Tastes great once sauce in pan is poured over it. Bland without that, which might explain an earlier bad review someone left.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Derrick, It does sound like maybe you are having an issue with your meat thermometer.
Julie van der Wekken
0Excellent simple recipe that compliments the flavor of the cod. Thanks so much!
Lisa
0Absolutely delicious!! The only changed I made was using ghee in place of unsalted butter. Recipe is a keeper!
Terri
0I peeled, cut potatoes into larger squares, and boiled until soft. In a bowl, I melted butter, dry parsley, and garlic powder in microwave. It was salty, so I added a teaspoon of vinegar. Once melted, I added and tossed the potatoes. They were great served with baked lemon cod. Will make again.