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Easy Lemon Garlic Baked Cod Recipe – deliciously easy-baked cod filets with just a few simple ingredients that help this light, flaky, and mild fish go over the top with melt in your mouth flavor.
I’ve been making this simple, easy seafood dinner for years – it is a go-to during Lent, and perfect for a light summer meal!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Table of contents
Easy Lemon Baked Cod in Oven
One of my favorite easy healthy dinners will always be baked fish – it is light, full of flavor, and so easy.
Baked cod is especially easy and delicious – cod is a lighter fish with less fat than some fishes, it flakes beautifully, and it has a mild non-fishy flavor.
Most people know cod from fish and chips – but it is fabulous baked in the oven because of it’s fast cooking and flaky texture.
If you are worried about fishy flavor, cod is a great fish to choose because it has a light, buttery flavor and is generally not a “fishy” fish.
Cod’s flavor is so light, it is the go-to choice for fish and chips, fish frys, and is fabulous baked.
How to bake Cod
I love to bake cod because it is fast and easy – with proper cooking temperatures and times. If you cook fish for too long, or at a wrong temperature, it can quickly overcook, resulting in a dry, flavorless fish.
These steps will help you find the right temperature to cook your fish at, every time.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees for a thicker cod fillet, or 350 degrees for a dressed fish.
- Rinse cod and pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure there is no extra liquid on the fish to help ensure it cooks properly.
- Place your fish in a single layer in a well prepared pan or baking dish. I like to use olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray to prevent the fish from sticking – or a little bit of garlic butter!
- Brush fish with some kind of fat or sauce (butter, olive oil, or a sauce like the tomato and caper sauce I use in my Tuscan Baked Fish) to help keep fish moist and flavorful.
- Season with herbs, spices, and aromatics.
- For these baked cod filets, weigh your filets and plan to bake fish at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes for every out ounces.
- Watch fish very carefully as it cooks to check for opaqueness to be sure fish doesn’t overcook.
Baked Cod Fish Recipe Tips for Success
Since cod is a widely available fish, you can find fresh or fresh frozen fish at almost every grocery store or fishmonger – it is one of the most popular fish in America and abroad, so it is easy to find.
How to reduce fishy smells. If you’ve had fishy cod, and are trying to get the best flavor, please consider some of my tips below to cut down on fishy smell and flavor:
- Rinse fish with cold water. Fish can collect bacteria and get a fishy smell in your refrigerator – if your fish has a slightly fishy smell, you can rinse it with COLD water to help rinse away the smell. Pat fish dry before cooking. Do not rinse fish with hot water, as it will start to cook the fish.
- Soak fish in milk. It sounds totally weird, but soaking fish in milk for 20 minutes takes away any fishy smell. Pat dry before cooking.
- Use acid. Lemon juice is one of the most flavorful and fragrant ways to take away any fishy smell. We’re using lemon in this recipe to pull out the light, sweet flavor of baked cod – and reducing the fishy smells.
Know when cod is cooked. Cod is cooked at 145 degrees – but thankfully it is an is an easy fish to tell when it is done by sight and an easy method called the flake test without a thermometer.
Do the flake test. To do the flake test, simply poke your fork into the thickest part of your fish at a 45 degree angle. Gently twist your fork and pull up some fish. To tell by the look of the fish, look for how translucent or opaque the fish looks.
Tell if it’s done by the look. Fish that is not done cooking will still look a little translucent, and won’t flake with with light twisting. Fish that is fully cooked will be bright white and fully opaque. These methods work to tell when cod is done using any method – grilling, baking, frying, or poaching.
Baked Cod Variations
- Spicy Lemon and Garlic Cod:
- Incorporate red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper into the lemon and garlic marinade.
- Serve with a side of spicy aioli or hot sauce for an extra kick.
- Mediterranean Cod:
- Add cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and capers to the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese before baking.
- Coconut-Lime Cod:
- Replace lemon juice with lime juice and add a splash of coconut milk to the marinade.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a side of jasmine rice.
- Pesto-Crusted Cod:
- Spread a thin layer of basil or sun-dried tomato pesto over the cod fillets before baking.
- Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Asian-Inspired Cod:
- Marinate the cod in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a touch of honey.
- Serve with steamed rice and sautéed bok choy.
- Mustard and Honey Cod:
- Mix Dijon mustard and honey into the lemon and garlic marinade.
- Add a sprinkle of paprika for extra flavor before baking.
Baked Cod Serving Suggestions
If you’re looking for the best side dishes to serve with baked cod, I have my favorites lined up – classics like the best rice pilaf or easy roasted asparagus, as well as low card sides like cauliflower rice and pan fried broccolini.
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Recipe FAQs
Cod is fully cooked at 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit.
To tell if your fish is done, poke the thickest part of the fish with the tines of your fork. Fully cooked fish will flake easily when it’s done and it will lose its translucent or raw appearance – it will become white/red or opaque.
A typical cod filet will take 15-20 minutes to bake to be fully cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cod can bake at 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit so it cooks quickly without drying out.
Store any leftover cod in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, or frozen for up to four months.
If your fish is fresh, but you’re very sensitive to fishy smells, try soaking your cod filets in milk before cooking. Remove from milk and pat dry, then cook as directed.
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Easy Baked Cod with Lemon and Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cod fillets, around 8 oz each
- 1 lemon, sliced into thin circles + any juice that is left from slicing lemons.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher sea salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees so oven is hot when fish is placed in (cooking temperature will be 350 degrees).
- Pat fish dry and season with herbs.
- Prepare baking dish by spraying with coconut oil or cooking spray.
- Layer lemon slices along bottom of dish.
- Arrange fish in baking dish on top of sliced lemons. Place pats of the butter on the fillets.
- Add garlic to dish.
- Reduce temperature to 350 and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until fully cooked.
- When fish is 140 degrees internal temperature, or looks fully opaque and flakes when a fork is inserted and lightly twisted, fish is fully cooked.
- Remove from pan and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
when do you put the butter in?
The butter goes onto the fish before you bake it. I have updated the recipe.
This looks so good! I’m putting it on the menu for next week.
I know what I will be having for dinner tonight; this looks amazing! So excited to give this a try!
Such a great flavor combo to do with cod, yummy!
We love how easy this is to prepare for a light, healthy dinner option the kids will eat, too.
Fish & lemon are so good together!! I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks so light & refreshing!