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!

Close up of a crunchy buttery baked cod filets on a serving platter with sliced green onions on top and a lemon wedge to the side.

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.

Crunchy baked cod filets with lemons and green onions on top.

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.

Ingredients laid out for making a buttery baked cod with cracker topping.

A small glass bowl with a crushed cracker mixture and a fork resting in it.

Four cod filets in a baking dish with butter.

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make baked cod. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

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.

Baked cod filets in a casserole dish with lemon slices and green onions scattered on top.

Buttery baked cod with a crunchy cracker topping on an oval serving platter.

Baked cod arranged on an oval serving platter with a spatula lifting up one of the pieces.

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!

Cod filets served alongside asparagus on dinner plates.

A dinner plate with a cod filet alongside asparagus spears with lemon and black pepper to the side.

A fork pulling apart a crunchy baked cod filet on a dinner plate with sliced green onions on top and to the side.

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

Yield: 4 servings

Buttery Baked Cod

Name: Buttery Baked Cod
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 15 buttery round crackers, crushed; 1 lb. thick cut cod, cut into 4 evenly sized pieces; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; Lemon wedges; Sliced green onions

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

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.

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. 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.

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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 27g