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.
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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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Equipment
- Garlic Press
- Meat Thermometer
Nutrition
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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!
Really yummy but I do have some personal preferences. I’d recommend seasoning the filets themselves instead of the butter mixture and after they’re done cooking top it off with some pesto! Pairs great with sauteed veggies and rice too
Nice recipe and it makes very well. I dropped it down a star though because YOU SHOULD NOT FOLLOW THE THAWING INSTRUCTIONS. When cooking fish you should ALWAYS REMOVE IT FROM THE VACCUM SEALED BAG BEFORE DEFROSTING! If the fish was previously handled improperly doing so can create a dangerous chemical byproduct so you should always do this in a separate bag from the one it came in. Otherwise solid recipe. Pairs nicely with roasted veggies.
Do not defrost fish in the plastic, that can cause botulism. I’m sure the recipe is good, but the first step can make you very ill. Seafood should never be defrosted in the packaging it came it. Shameful to write for a cooking publication and spread unsafe preparation.
Was so good thank you
Really yummy, easy, and quick! Winco sells individual frozen cod portions for $5-6 a piece so I’ll definitely repeat this. Another way to get fish into our diet during the week! We paired ours with roasted potatoes and green beans.
You wanna see just how pathetic our economy is with respect to inflation?…take a look at her purported $/lb. for cod at $6. I just paid $10/lb …..
Otherwise, great recipe’
I paid $6.49 a lb. It’s almost as if different parts of the country have different prices due to how close they are to the ocean or a more metropolitan area 🤔
This was so delicious and the cod was cooked to perfection. I used wild garlic leaves that I foraged here in London for the garlic herb butter.
I served the cod with a side salad and potatoes, that were first par-boiled, then sliced and roasted for a few minutes alongside the fish for the final ten minutes.
As I had leftover dill in the fridge,I made a dill, lemon, Dijon mustard and olive oil dressing.
I will definitely make this again.
I live on Cape Cod so our fish is FRESH! This recipe ruined great fish, the garlic was overwhelming and I love garlic. The fish was cooked beautifully but next time I’ll omit the garlic, maybe a sprinkle of garlic powder and other seasonings. I do not recommend this recipe.
Absolutely delicious! I used tilapia and it stood up in the oven. Will put on my weekly rotation!
This was absolutely delicious. I did make a few changes. Instead of plain olive oil I used black truffle olive oil, I added more garlic (me and my family love garlic), I used a food processor to combine everything, and finally, I substituted the parsley for Dill.
I was worried about cooking this @ 400° but it came out perfect. My wife and mother in law absolutely loved it as the main dish for our mother’s day meal.
Very good. Thank you.
This is a great and versatile recipe! I realized tonight when I had already started making it that I had no parsley. I subbed fresh cilantro for the parsley and added 1/4 tsp of cumin and 1/4 tsp of ground chipotle pepper to the butter mixture, then topped with lime slices instead of lemon. It was fabulous!
We served it as Mexican fish bowls, with turmeric rice, black beans, spring mix, and all the usual taco toppings, along with balsamic vinaigrette. It will definitely be going into regular rotation.
So delicious! My whole family loved it. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Today is my husband,Bruce’s Birthday! I asked him this morning which restraunt he’d like to go to. Lunch? Or dinner? I had a special place in mind, but he surprised me. He said he’d like to celebrate his birthday here, at home, just the two of us. Delighted and flattered, I asked if he had something in mind that sounded really good to him. He said, if we could find it, he’d love some really fresh fish, preferably…Ling Cod. One of our favorites! I called our local fish market, “Fishermans Direct”, fingers crossed. They had three lbs of “right out of the water,” blue Ling Cod!!! I just walked in the front door with it!!! We are using this recipe for “butter baked fish” tonight for the first time!! Can hardly wait!! We’ll share our results tomorrow…It sounds wonderful! I’m batting a thousand that we have an amazing “Birthday dinner”, right ahead of us!!!
Happy to add another easy fish dish to the rotation! Serving it with a lemon wedge to squeeze on fresh lemon juice really makes this. I also made oven-roasted baby potatoes and broccolini which was easy to do simultaneously in the oven with the fish.