Buttery Baked Cod features thick filets of cod coated in melted butter, drizzled with lemon juice, topped with a crunchy cracker coating and baked until perfectly tender. Just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes to make!
I have to admit, when I go to make seafood, I tend to reach for shrimp or salmon.
Some of our favorite dishes are honey garlic shrimp and Mediterranean salmon as well as my mom’s grouper Veracruz. And spicy roasted shrimp makes a great appetizer.
You can also browse all of my seafood recipes for more inspiration.
And... I also like to branch out and incorporate other types of fish and seafood in our dinner rotation from time to time.
And today’s recipe for buttery baked cod is my go-to way to make cod.
Those thick filets are just calling out to be coated in a little melted butter, drizzled with lemon juice, topped with a crunchy cracker coating and baked until perfectly tender.
What more could you want?!
Plus, this recipe is just 4 simple ingredients, so it’s an easy one to throw together anytime!
And this delicious fish dinner takes just 30 minutes to make, start to finish!
Gotta love that.
So let’s get cooking.
Ingredient Notes:
Butter: I use and prefer to use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the amount of sodium. (And in this recipe, the crackers have plenty of sodium.) However, salted butter is fine to use if that’s all you have. It gets melted and added to the baking dish to coat the cod pieces.
Crackers: Something like Ritz crackers or the Trader Joe’s knock-off I tend to have on hand works great. To get them crushed, I put them in a ziplock bag and bang it lightly with a rolling pin to get small pieces.
Cod: You’ll want a thick piece of cod that’s big enough to cut into 4 equal-sized portions. You can also use frozen cod filets if that’s what’s available at your store - I definitely do this sometimes. Thaw according to the package instructions.
Lemon juice: This is a must for the balance of flavors and acidity in this dish and fresh lemon juice is best.
As for serving, I love some lemon wedges and sliced green onions for a little extra kick of flavor and color, but that’s entirely optional.
To round out your meal, you can throw a second pan in the oven with some potatoes and veggies to roast.
This also goes great with rice pilaf or just steamed brown or white rice. Orzo would be good too.
Add some steamed broccoli or asparagus, or a veggie medley, and dinner is done!
Last thing, what to do with any leftovers.
Seafood is best enjoyed as soon as it’s made, but if you have extra, you can store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
You can flake and reheat the leftover fish and add it to a salad or grain bowl for lunch.
I hope you give this a try if you’re looking to incorporate more seafood into your life.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Buttery Baked Cod
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 15 buttery round crackers, crushed
- 1 lb. thick cut cod, cut into 4 evenly sized pieces
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For serving (optional):
- Lemon wedges
- Sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and heat on high in the microwave for 1 minute, or until melted. Transfer half of the melted butter to an 8x12 baking dish and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan..
- Add the crushed crackers to the bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and stir to combine.
- Place the cod pieces in the baking dish and turn to coat both sides in the melted butter.
- Sprinkle the tops of the cod filets with black pepper and then drizzle with lemon juice. Add the cracker crumbs to the top of each cod piece and press in to help it adhere.
- Bake the cod at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. Serve immediately.
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