Do you love garlic bread as much I as do? Then you’re going to LOVE this Easy Garlic Butter Baked Cod recipe. I used the same buttery garlic spread that I use for my garlic bread to top these tender and mild cod fillets. I added a little lemon for brightness and the end result is a super simple weeknight main dish that I can make on a moment’s notice.
The mild, slightly rich flavor of cod is the perfect base for the zesty fresh garlic and creamy butter. And as if this Garlic Butter Baked Cod wasn’t already perfect, it also happens to be incredibly fast and easy to make. Weeknight dinner perfection!
What’s In Garlic Butter Baked Cod
For this recipe, I took my basic Garlic Bread recipe and changed it up ever so slightly to make it more fish-friendly. Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy baked cod:
- Cod: Frozen cod is usually the most economical option, and it thaws quickly so you can make this dinner without any forethought! Try to get fillets that are about 4oz. each.
- Butter: This is the vehicle for all that good garlicky flavor! The richness of the butter pairs wonderfully with the light and flakey texture of the cod.
- Olive Oil: A little oil helps make the butter mixture more spreadable, and slows the browning just a bit.
- Fresh Garlic: The star of the show! Fresh garlic brings big punchy flavor to the fish.
- Paprika & Salt: A little seasoning is all you need here because we want to keep the flavors light, fresh, and simple. Paprika also helps add color to an otherwise pale palate.
- Fresh Parsley: Parsley adds a little freshness and color to this dish, which is always welcome, but it won’t be a deal breaker if you don’t have any. You can also use one teaspoon of dried parsley in place of the fresh.
How to Thaw Frozen Cod
Frozen cod is not only convenient, but you can usually get a better price than buying fresh. Frozen cod is usually sold in bags that have individually vacuum-sealed pieces, which makes thawing super fast and easy. Here is how to thaw frozen cod:
- Place vacuum-sealed fish in a bowl of cold water. If your fish is not vacuum sealed, place it in a tightly-closed zip top bag with as much as squeezed out as possible.
- Leave the fish in the cold water for 10-15 minutes, or until thawed. The total time will depend on the thickness of the fillet. Once thawed, transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
How to Know When Cod is Done Baking
The time needed to bake your cod will depend on the thickness of the filet and the type of baking dish you use, but cod should be baked until it reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. At this temperature, the flesh will be opaque and will flake easily with a fork. If you continue baking too long past this point the cod can get tough or rubbery.
My filets were a little on the thick side and I used a thick ceramic baking dish that takes a little longer to heat, so I baked them for about 20 minutes at 400ºF to reach an internal temperature of 145ºF. If you have thin filets or are using a thinner metal baking dish, it may only take 15 minutes of baking. A simple electronic instant-read meat thermometer is really helpful for determining when the fish is finished baking.
What to Serve with Garlic Butter Baked Cod
I served my Garlic Butter Baked Cod with Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes, but it would also go great with:
Garlic Butter Baked Cod
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter (room temperature) ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 1/4 tsp paprika ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley ($0.22)
- 1 lb. cod (4 4 oz. filets) ($5.99)
- 1 fresh lemon ($0.69)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and chopped parsley. Stir until it forms a fairly smooth paste.
- Add the cod filets to a baking dish, add the garlic butter mixture on top of the fish, the spread it until the fish is evenly coated.
- Cut half of the lemon into slices and add the lemon slices on top of the fish. Cut the remaining 1/2 lemon into wedges for serving.
- Bake the cod for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork and the internal temperature reaches 145ºF (total baking time will depend on the thickness of the filets and the material of your baking dish). Spoon any juices from the bottom of the pan over the fish. Serve the cod immediately with the remaining fresh lemon wedges for squeezing juice over top.
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Pictured with Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes.
How to Make Easy Baked Cod – Step by Step Photos:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbsp room temperature butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 4 minced cloves of garlic, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp salt, and about 2 Tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley. Mix the ingredients together until they are fairly smooth (a few small lumps of butter are okay).
Place the cod fillets in the dish, then spread the garlic butter mixture over each piece.
Slice half of a lemon and add the lemon slices to the baking dish. Cut the rest of the lemon into wedges to serve with the finished fish.
Bake the Garlic Butter Cod for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. If you’re using a thin metal baking dish or have thin filets, the fish will cook faster. If you are using a thick glass or ceramic baking dish or have thicker filets (as I did here), the fish will take slightly longer to bake. Spoon any of the juices in the pan over the fish (that will spread the lemony flavor).
Serve immediately with some of the baked lemon slices, and a couple of the fresh lemon wedges to squeeze over top.
I paired my Garlic Butter Baked Cod with Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes. It’s a great easy no-brainer side dish that you can serve with anything from fish to steak!
Have you tried this on chicken? Buttery garlic spread sounds delicious but we’re not seafood people!
As a matter of fact, I have! 😄 Garlic Butter Baked Chicken
Can i use chopped fresh basil instead of parsley. i dont like parsley.
Sure, I bet that would be tasty. :)
Good recipe. I sauteed onions for about 3 minutes and then added zucchini slices and sauteed for 5 more. Then I added the fish and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. I added the juice of half a lemon with 3 minutes remaining and returned to the oven. Served with Turkish Rice Pilaf with Orzo. It all came out great for a quick and easy after work meal.
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Perfect fish, perfect recipe! Couldn’t have been easier and looked pretty elegant. Thank you!!!
This is a regular go-to for us. I pick up frozen cod fillets when they’re on sale and when I want something easy on a weeknight this is a great, flavorful, easy option. Tonight I halved some cherry tomatoes and sliced some green onion and tossed them in the baking dish as well, and gave it a dash of white wine, too. Serving it with some rice cooked in chicken broth and spooning the lemony, buttery pan juices over the rice.
And I say yes, DO buy a whole bunch of parsley! The fresh flavor is great in this dish, and you can use the rest to make chimichurri, which is my new condiment obsession.
This might be a great recipe, but I’ll never know because I could not print it out.
What happens when you try to print? If I have more information about what isn’t working, I can help fix this for you.
This was SO good! My mom is Finnish, so she’s very picky about Cod recipes. This one hit it out of the park! Very tender and tasty and easy to prep. For what it’s worth, I used smoked paprika and a touch of Adobo instead of salt. I cooked it for about 15 minutes since the filet was unevenly distributed, then tented it with some foil while I made veggies and that did the trick!
Thanks for sharing it!
This was SO good! My mom is Finnish, so she’s very picky about Cod recipes. This one hit it out of the park! Very tender and tasty and ready to prep. For what it’s worth, I used smoked paprika and a touch of Adobo instead of salt. I cooked it for about 15 minutes since the filet was unevenly distributed, then tented it with some foil while I made veggies and that did the trick!
Thanks for sharing it!
This one is on rotation in my kitchen. Have had it multiple times, most recently a few days ago. So, so good!
I have this in the oven right now. To save a step, I used the garlic butter from Land o Lakes and just added paprika and parsley to it.
I am a little worried about the cooking time. Normally I can cook chicken in 20 minutes at 400…fish should probably be closer to half that I wound think.
Looks delicious! Love your other recipes and thought I might give this one a go! Quick question: Is it possible to substitute the cod with pollock? I have some frozen pollock fillets in my freezer that are begging to be cooked.
Yes, you can do this with any white fish, just make sure to adjust the baking time based on the thickness of the fillet. :)
This sounds wonderful! I like to cook once and eat twice whenever possible. Could this be frozen and reheated? How best to reheat? I look forward to making this dish soon.
Fish is kind of delicate and can overcook easily, so I feel like it probably wouldn’t hold up well to freezing, thawing, and then reheating.
Makes sense. We never ate much fish growing up as my dad hated it. I don’t have a lot of experience cooking fresh fish. We did have crab cakes on Fridays during Lent when my dad was at work (he was a policeman and worked shifts). So if I
double the recipe we’ll have the chance to enjoy it twice. Thanks for your response.
This has become my go-to preparation for cod loins, as well as other white fish fillets; I just adjust cooking time for thickness. The garlic lemon butter sauce is amazingly good; I drizzle any remaining sauce on my veg. (I was sure I had praised this recipe a while ago, but I can’t find it in the comments.) Five stars all the way ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Easy peasy! And delicious!
I made this tonight for my son and I and It was AMAZing! the Cod was a little thin so stopped at 15 min to check and was done perfectly. Will do this again. Thanks for the recipe.