Garlic Herb Baked Cod
390 Comments
Updated Oct 23, 2024
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This baked cod is an easy and foolproof recipe for perfectly flaky fish, every time. A simple buttery garlic herb topping transforms cod fillets into a delicious, light, and healthy weeknight dinner – in under 30 minutes!
While baked salmon tends to get a lot of attention, a cod fillet is not one to be overlooked. It’s just as meaty, holds up well in a variety of recipes like today’s garlic herb baked cod and this Mediterranean cod en papillote, and you simply can’t beat that flaky texture.
But what I love most about baked cod is how darn easy it is to make. All you have to do is stir together the garlic herb butter mixture, slather it on top of the cod, and then bake it in the oven. You’ll have one unbelievably flavorful and healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes!
Baked Cod Ingredients
Garlic and butter will always be a dynamic duo when it comes to flavoring seafood. But here are a few other things you’ll need.
- Cod: I’m using wild-caught Alaskan cod in this recipe. But if that’s not readily available, you could also use halibut, mahi mahi, or another flaky white fish.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter so I can add then season with salt to my preference.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is preferred for the most robust flavor, but you can also use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Parsley: Chopped parsley in the garlic butter adds a lovely pop of green. Not a fan of parsley? Try chives, thyme or another tender herbs.
- Lemon: Fish and lemon are best friends!
- Paprika: Add just a touch of paprika to elevate the flavor profile.
Fresh versus Frozen Cod
If you can’t find fresh cod at the market, don’t fret. Frozen Alaskan cod might be the better option. Why? It’s hard to tell how long the “fresh” cod on ice has been sitting out. Plus, fresh catches of the day can be a bit pricey and hard to come by.
How To Bake Cod Perfectly
Pan searing is one way to achieve a beautiful crust. But I find that baking cod in the oven is hands down the most foolproof method. Here’s how to make it.
- Make the garlic herb butter. Stir the butter, garlic, herbs, and seasonings together.
- Coat the fish. Smear the garlic herb butter mixture on the cod fillets.
- Bake the fish. After 13 to 15 minutes in the oven the fish should be flaky and ready to serve!
Switch Up The Seasonings
Give this cod recipe a flavor twist by tweaking the seasoning in the garlic butter. Here are a few ideas:
- French: Use fresh or dried thyme in place of the parsley, and add a tablespoon of chopped capers. You could also drizzle beurre blanc on top or make this baked cod with orange beurre blanc for a citrus twist!
- Cajun: Replace the paprika with your favorite Cajun seasoning blend and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Italian: Swap the parsley for fresh basil, and the paprika for Italian seasoning.
- Spanish: Use smoked paprika instead of sweet.
- Mexican: Substitute chopped cilantro for the parsley, ground cumin for the paprika, and lime for the lemon.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- To store in the fridge: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.
- To freeze for later: Yes, you can freeze cod! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For reheating: Simply reheat in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until the fish is warmed through.
More Easy Seafood Recipes To Love
If you’re a seafood lover like, I’m confident you’ll love these recipes as well:
- Salmon Patties – these are also great for meal prep!
- Creamy Chipotle Shrimp – the chipotle sauce is truly divine.
- Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl – a light and fresh poke bowl you’re sure to love.
- Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers – garlicky shrimp get tossed on the grill for smoky flavor.
- Scallops with Citrus Ginger Sauce – this sauce pairs beautifully with scallops.
I hope you enjoy this garlic herb baked cod! If you make it, drop a comment below on how it turned out. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Garlic Herb Baked Cod
Description
Equipment
- Casserole Pan You can fit several cod fillets on this pan!
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) cod filets
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chives, thyme or other herbs, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the cod in a baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the compound butter mixture on top of each filet.
- Lay the lemon slices both on top and under the cod filets.
- Bake in the oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Before serving, spoon the juices from the baking dish over the cod.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published September 2020, but updated to include new information for your benefit!
So flavorful! Will definitely make again!
Glad you enjoyed this baked cod, Cyndi!
Just enjoyed the garlic herb baked cod. I followed your recipe exactly (unusual for me). It was a visual delight, perfectly cooked and truly delicious. I served it with boiled potatoes and green peas. The lemon butter sauce added flavour to everything. Thank you!
Thrilled you loved this baked cod, and that the images and video were extremely helpful to successfully make it, Esther!
I recently made Lisa’s herb baked cod for a weeknight dinner for me and my husband. It was simple and delicious! Actually nice enough to serve to company. I will definitely make this again. I used frozen cod, but of course it would be even better with a fresh piece of fish.
Happy to hear you were able to turn your frozen cod into a delicious dinner with this recipe, Barbara!
Absolutely delicious! The only difference is that I used fresh rockfish. Had a small mixed greens salad on the side and some garlic toast. Thank you for an easy recipe.
Using rockfish for this recipe sounds great! Love the mixed greens salad you served with this as well. Enjoy, Anna!
This was the first time I ever made Cod and it was AMAZING! This recipe is absolutely perfect!
Hi Allison – So glad you enjoyed this cod recipe for your first attempt at cooking it! It’s definitely my go-to recipe.
Met my recipe criteria: easy , fast and totally delicious !!!
Thank you!
Glad this baked cod ticked all the boxes for the perfect meal, Alicia!
I felt like I had some real talent when I served this up to my family – we all loved it and were planning on making it again with all the suggested variations. Fish used to feel intimidating, but this recipe is so easy and SO GOOD.
Now you’re the ultimate chef! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed this bake cod recipe, Jessica.
Is the cod supposed to be thawed or frozen?
Hi Courtney – the cod should be thawed before cooking.
This dish is so delicious and super easy to make. My husband normally doesn’t like fish, but he said I hit it out of the park. Thanks Lisa, your recipes are them bomb.
Glad this baked cod recipe satisfied even the pickiest eaters, Sheryl!
Made this for dinner tonight. Simple and delicious!
Happy to hear you loved it, Luciana!
I have a young friend who comes to visit, ( her parents passed away of cancer.) she Is allergic to dairy,gluten, does not eat any meat. & has only organic foods. I use your healthy recipes most of the time. Thank you SO much. 👏👏
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend, Mary. Happy to hear my recipes have been extremely helpful in providing healthy recipes!
Super yummy. Thanks! I didn’t have a lemon (and my husband is not a fan of lemon), so I snuck in a little bit of sumac powder. It was delicious.
Love the dash of sumac powder with this! Glad it was a hit, Karina.
My boyfriend made this for us the other night and OH MY it is delicious. Five stars hands down.
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed this baked cod recipe, Claire.
This was pretty quick and super easy. Luckily, I had fresh parsley! Followed recipe to a T. I forgot to salt the fish before applying the compound butter but I did salt the mixture after I made and tasted it so I’m glad I did that, at least. Nobody reached for the salt shaker so It wasn’t lacking seasoning. I made 7 filets and there was no left overs. I did have to bake it for about 17 minutes. Served with jasmine rice (I added the remaining butter compound to it, was a hit) and steamed broccoli. I do feel like it was lacking lemon flavor though, despite the lemon all over it. Next time, I’ll add some lemon zest or dehydrated lemon peel to the butter mixture. Overall, it was perfect for this Good Friday! Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious and so easy to put together! I didn’t have fresh parsley but used oregano from our garden. Yum!
Glad this baked cod turned out perfectly with fresh oregano from your garden, Jessica!
This was delicious!!! Thank you!
So happy you loved it, Samantha!
I loved this recipe! The cod had a great flavor. The herb I used was fresh parsley. I always accidentally overcook fish so it was great to finally not do that because the juices kept it moist. Delicious!!
Hi Sarah – Glad you finally nailed how to bake cod perfectly with this recipe!
This cod fish was delicious and super easy to make.
Hi Griselda – Happy to hear you enjoyed this baked cod! It really is the best (and easiest) way to make cod for dinner.
Easily the best. Easily the easiest. Tender, moist flavorful. My offspring downed it in ravenous silence. Best compliment ever.
Yay, so thrilled you loved the recipe, Anoj!
That’s amazing to hear, Anoj! Glad this baked cod was such a hit.
Hi Lisa,
A friend and I have started the mediterranean diet and we have been using many of your recipes and love them.
Thank you so much for sharing your love of healthy food.
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris – Thrilled to hear you’re loving all the Mediterranean recipes across my website, including this baked cod!
I loved this recipe! I didn’t have parsley, I wanted some fresh greens to add. Only thing green and fresh was celery leaves. Worked great. I also kicked it up a little and added jumbo lump crab meat on top. I flatted out the butter mixture and laid it on top. 15 minutes was perfect!
The extra layer of crab meat sounds like a seafood dream! Glad you found a new fun way to enjoy this baked cod, Lauren.
I used this recipe using thinner pieces of cod. Tomorrow, I am going to use Cod loins which are much thicker. Besides maybe extra time cooking, should I make any other changes?
Hi Michael – if you have thicker pieces, just a little bit more time in the oven is all you need to do. Enjoy!
We made this recipe and it was so easy to follow. The cod was moist and so good.
Thrilled to hear you loved this baked cod recipe, Carrie!
This is the second time I have made this recipe and I love it!!! Thank you for such a flavorful, easy recipe. Fast and tasty!
Wonderful! Happy to hear this baked cod recipe has been such a hit, Debbie!
This was pretty bland, not much flavor. Needed more salt and I would definitely squeeze some lemon juice out next time. Slicing it didn’t add much lemon flavor. My pieces were not evenly flat either so thinner sections were overcooked.
Yeah, same here! It was way too bland. I’d definitely squeeze some extra lemon juice on top and go heavier on the salt next time.
I found the same too – and had such high hopes for this dish! Also, the finished dish was completely orange from the paprika – maybe the 1/2 tsp is too much? It certainly did not look like the picture that is all yellow from butter and olive oil.
Best cod dish I’ve made!
Hi Allison – thrilled to hear you found the perfect cod recipe!
Yummy
This recipe is delicious. And easy.
Hi Brenda – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this baked cod recipe!
Easy and delicious dish!
Delicious, quick and easy. I also added asparagus to it. A keeper!
So easy and delicious! Fish is tasty and moist.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Helena!
Lovely recipe, made just as the recipe stated. It is delicious, we really enjoyed it and I shall make this again.
Hi Sue, happy to hear you enjoyed this baked cod recipe! You can’t beat this for a simple yet delicious dinner.
This was outstanding. Followed recipe as written. Gourmet quality restaurant worthy dish.
Wondeful! Glad you’re loving this baked cod, Beverly.
easy
delicious
thank you!
Hi Louise – Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed this baked cod recipe.
Cooked this as an alternative to battered fish. So easy and my family are asking me to make it again I used coriander instead of parsley.
This is a great alternative to battered cod! Glad the whole family enjoyed this recipe.
This recipe was a huge hit in my household!! Absolutely delicious and I will definitely make this again.
I’m so glad this baked cod was a win, Becky!
Has anyone tried this with frozen cod? If so did you thaw first or just cook from frozen? Thank you in advance 😁
Hi Kristen – you can definitely make this with frozen cod! Just let the cod thaw overnight in the fridge, then continue on with the instructions. Enjoy!
I am a big fan of cod and did not like it at all.
Hi Loretta – was there something specific you didn’t like about it?
Made this today and it was very tasty. I didn’t put the parsley into the butter as the recipe said but instead I used it as a topping. I mixed it with chopped green olives that I had in the refrigerator and chopped grape tomatoes.
Hi Dan – Happy to hear you enjoyed this baked cod! Sounds great with green olives and tomatoes as well.
Such a delicious dish. My kids even love it. It’s a great way to use up leftover herbs. Highly recommend!
Yay, you’ve got to know it’s a winner when the kiddos love it, haha. Thanks, Anna!
Perfect, just follow the instructions and you will end up with an Amazing Dish !Im typing as I’m eating, rather go back to eat !!! Thank you Lisa
So glad you enjoyed this baked cod recipe, Ruben!
This was the first time I ever made fish for my family and I must say it was perfect. We enjoyed it. I followed it to the T.
Amazing! Happy to hear your first time cooking fish for the family was a success, Sandra.
Delicious recipe. Thank you. The only small addition I made was to add about a tsp of lemon zest to the butter/oil/parsley/garlic mixture before schmearing the mixture on the fish and topping the fish with lemon slices. Baked at 400F for 18 minutes and it came out perfectly.
Hi Sharon – Can’t go wrong with extra lemon here! Glad you enjoyed this baked cod recipe.
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Thank you 😊
Hi Sonya – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent dish & so quick and easy! I will be making this again on a regular basis.
So glad you loved it, Vickie!
So easy and so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Maggie – I’m so glad you love this baked cod recipe!
Really delicious recipe. The fish was so tender. I love Lisa’s recipes.
Hi Liz – Happy to hear you enjoyed this baked cod recipe!
Loved this garlic herbed cod. Made today for the first time. Wow! Will be a regular for me. Served with noodles and pak choi (fed up with potatoes). Thank you for giving me a simple, but great tasting mid week meal!
Hi Olwen – Thrilled to hear you loved this baked cod recipe!