Table of contents
This foolproof recipe for baked cod fillets is quick enough for a weeknight dinner yet impressive enough to serve for company. The topping of fresh breadcrumbs, lemon, butter, and garlic takes just a few minutes to make and guarantees that the fish bakes up moist, flaky, and filled with flavor.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Years ago, when living in Rhode Island, we were fortunate enough to have a local fish market called the Smiling Sole (I love that name). They sold a delicious, ready-for-the-oven version of this recipe made with “scrod.” If you’ve never heard of scrod, it’s actually not a variety of fish; it’s a term that’s commonly used in New England, referring to freshly caught white-fleshed fish (usually cod or haddock) that’s moist, mildly flavored, and of high quality. After moving to Florida, we wanted to recreate this dish in our own kitchen, and we’ve been making it often for years. It’s also a part of our Italian Christmas Eve Dinner (Feast of the Seven Fishes).
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- COD FILLETS: Wild Atlantic cod is our top choice for making this dish. It’s a moist, flaky fish with a mild, sweet flavor that goes perfectly with the buttery crumb topping. Look for fillets with bright, shiny white flesh and a mild ocean-like smell. If you can’t find fresh Atlantic, frozen is a good alternative. Just be sure it is packed well and free from ice crystals and signs of freezer burn. If you can’t find cod, haddock (a related North Atlantic species) is probably the best alternative.
- LEMON JUICE: When it comes to preparing fish and seafood, there’s nothing that beats the flavor of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You could even grate a little zest into the crumb topping for added zing if you like.
- BUTTER: Use real, unsalted butter if you don’t have special dietary needs. The nutty flavor it develops in the toasty crumb topping perfectly complements the fish.
- GARLIC: We like the crumbs to have a garlicky flavor that’s pronounced but not overwhelming. We call for 3 cloves in the recipe but feel free to adjust this quantity to suit your own personal taste.
- CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES: Just a hint of heat adds a contrasting note to the richness of the butter. If it’s not to your taste, leave it out or adjust the quantity up or down as desired.
- FRESH BREADCRUMBS: We use Italian bread to make fresh breadcrumbs (instructions below) for this recipe. It has a relatively light, but not too airy texture that absorbs the butter and olive oil well. Instructions for making fresh breadcrumbs are included in the recipe notes.
- PARSLEY: Fresh parsley adds both color and flavor to this dish. If you’d like some additional seasoning, you could add a pinch of dried oregano. Just know that too much will change the flavor profile of the dish.
How to Make Baked Cod with Crumb Topping
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
PREPARE THE COD FOR BAKING: Preheat the oven to 400°F, thoroughly coat a baking dish with nonstick spray, and add the cod fillets. Choose a baking dish that will accommodate your fish in a single layer with little or no room left over. If your fillets have thin portions (as most do), it’s a good idea to overlap them a bit to keep the thickness somewhat uniform. Drizzle the fish with 1 tablespoon each of the lemon juice and olive oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING: Heat the remaining olive oil together with the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until the garlic turns a pale golden color, 1 to 2 minutes (do not brown). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining lemon juice, along with the breadcrumbs and parsley.
BAKE THE COD: Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the fish and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the topping is golden and toasted and the fish flakes easily.
Satisfying Sides
Sides that pair well with baked cod include garlic butter pasta (our favorite), mashed or roasted potatoes, simple green vegetables like roasted Brussels sprouts or steamed green beans, or a classic side salad with red wine vinaigrette.
Baked Cod with Buttered Crumb Topping
Ingredients
- 1 to 1-1/4 lbs cod fillets (or haddock), about 1 inch thick
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (more or less to taste)
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, thoroughly coat a baking dish with nonstick spray, and add the cod fillets.
- Try to choose a dish that will accommodate your fish in a single layer with little or no room left over. If your fillets have thin portions (as most do), it’s a good idea to overlap them a bit to keep the thickness somewhat uniform.
- Drizzle the fish with 1 tablespoon each of the lemon juice and olive oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Heat the remaining olive oil together with the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté until the garlic turns a pale golden color, 1 to 2 minutes (do not brown).
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining lemon juice, along with the breadcrumbs and parsley.
- Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the fish and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the topping is golden and toasted and the fish flakes easily.
- Serve family style.
Notes
How to Make Fresh Breadcrumbs
- Type of bread: You can use your food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs from Italian bread, French bread, sourdough, or even English muffins. We recommend Italian bread for this recipe. How many slices of bread you need will depend on the diameter of your loaf, but if you make too much, you can always freeze the extra in zip-top freezer bags.
- Preparing the bread: If you can, use stale bread to make breadcrumbs. If you don’t have any, simply put a few slices in the oven at 275°F and bake until dry and lightly crisped. Times will vary depending on the type of bread you use, so keep a close eye on it and don’t let it get toasted, as it will likely be too dry and crumbly. Cut or tear the bread into small cubes. Note that it’s not necessary to remove the crust, but if you are using rustic-style bread with a very chewy crust, it might be harder to process it into crumbs as a chewy crust tends to get caught on the blades of the food processor.
- Make the breadcrumbs: Put the bread cubes in the work bowl of your food processor and process them in short pulses until you get a medium-sized crumb. Some larger pieces are inevitable and that’s okay.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this several times and one of the times I used haddock. It turned out just as good as the cod.
Hi Ellie,
We’ve used haddock too and had good luck. Thanks for commenting!
This is so delicious and so easy! I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Thanks Kristine! Please reach out if you ever have questions.
Can this be prepared ahead and baked later in the day?
Hi Liz,
You can definitely make this ahead of time. Just assemble everything in a casserole, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it.
I’ve been making this for years, but here in Newfoundland we use summer savoury in place of parsley in the breadcrumb topping, and butter instead of oil. It’s our traditional “dressing” or stuffing if you will. It is absolutely delicious.
Thank you for sharing that recipe variation. I’m sure the summer savory adds nice flavor.
Made this for Christmas Eve. What a hit! I used seasoned croutons as the breading for the breadcrumbs. I put them in a food processor to grind them. It was so good I made it again a week later. It’s also an easy recipe to follow. I say give it a try!
I live in New England, and I eat a lot of seafood, including codfish. This is by far the best cod fish recipe I have ever found online. I must confess, however, I couldn’t help but add bay scallops and chopped shrimp to the bread crumb topping. UNBELIEVABLE flavor!
Thank you for sharing!
This is a great recipe – it’s easy and fast yet it looks very inviting on your table!
Hi Bette,
So glad to hear you liked the cod done this way. It’s a virtually foolproof way to cook fish and a nice dish to serve for company.