Hooked on easy seafood dinners? Then add Baked Cod to your must-try-dinners list! This homemade fish dinner is flaky, perfectly seasoned, and a really healthy option that the whole family will enjoy!
An Easy Baked Cod Recipe
We’ve done seafood dinners like salmon quite a few ways on this blog over the years. (Remember Honey Garlic Sauce Salmon and Air Fryer Salmon?)
But what we haven’t done is cod, and today that changes!
I present you with The Best Baked Cod recipe. It makes a bold claim, but I firmly believe this fish dinner will live up to the hype! Cod is high in protein, but relatively low in fat, making it a great option for healthy dinners, too. It’s deliciously flaky, and also well-seasoned with sweet paprika and a number of other spices. In addition to that, this baked cod is topped with feta cheese, which adds a whole new level of flavor!
Sounds totally tasty, right? Healthy dinners don’t have to be boring, or a drag to make! Plus, there are so many sides that you can make to go with your fish if you want. But, more on that later.
For now, let’s get started on this delicious cod dinner!
What You’ll Need
So, besides the obvious, what goes into making baked cod? A good question! As it turns out, mostly seasonings and a couple of vegetables.
But, here is everything you will need to prepare this dinner:
- Olive Oil: Other cooking oils like canola oil will work too.
- Onion: I used 1 small yellow onion, diced.
- Garlic: Minced.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Halve your cherry tomatoes before starting.
- White Wine: To cook the cod and vegetables in.
- Seasoning: Use dried oregano, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and sweet paprika.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Also for cooking the vegetables in.
- Cod: I used 4 cod fillets to serve 4 people.
- Cheese: Grab some crumbled feta cheese to sprinkle over the top of the cod.
- Garnish: Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for serving.
Can I Use Frozen Cod?
- Yes! In fact, frozen cod is probably the best way to go. You never know how fresh the ‘fresh fish’ really is (i.e. it could have been sitting there for a while before you got to the counter) so using frozen cod is a good idea. It can also be quite a bit cheaper.
How to Make Baked Cod
Baking cod is super easy! It’ll only take you about 30 minutes, making this recipe an easy dinner idea for busy weeknights. By the way… don’t you love recipes that incorporate veggies and a main course into one meal? (I do!)
Here’s what you’ll need to do to make this baked cod:
- Preheat Oven to 400˚F: Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and heat it up. When skillet is hot, add olive oil and swirl around.
- Cook the Onion: Add chopped onions to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Cook the Tomatoes: Add tomatoes and season with ½ teaspoon oregano, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper; continue to cook for 1 minute. Stir in the white wine and vinegar; bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Bake the Cod: Season the fish with remaining oregano, salt and pepper, plus paprika. Remove skillet from heat. Nestle the cod fillets in the tomato mixture. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Add Cheese: Sprinkle the feta cheese over the fish and continue to bake for 5 to 8 more minutes, or until cooked through and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from oven. Garnish with basil or parsley. Serve.
Tips for Success
See what I mean now? Easy. You can totally handle that busy schedule with a simple meal like this!
Read through these tips for some more information on how to make the best baked cod:
- How to Tell When the Cod is Done: If you take a fork to the edges and pieces flake off, the cod is done! Using a meat thermometer can help you get a more accurate read, too. (Try for an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.)
- Add Lemon Juice: Squeeze some lemon juice over your fish enhances the flavor even more – you could slice up some lemon wedges to serve on your plates as well, so people can do it individually.
- Should the Skin be On or Off the Cod? I prefer to make this recipe with no skin on the cod – it’s easier to season and serve this way.
Serving Suggestions
What goes with baked cod? Another good question! If we’re being honest, you can serve almost anything with this dinner, but here are a few suggestions:
- Vegetables: Bake them, sauté them, air fry them – do whatever you like! Personally, I like to make something like Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce to go alongside this meal. The Easy Oven Roasted Vegetables are also great!
- Rice or Noodles: Keep it simple with white rice, or make a quick pot of spaghetti. You could also do zucchini noodles!
- Salad: Make a simple green salad, or try something a little more elegant like Mediterranean Cobb Salad.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate any leftover cod you have in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- You can also freeze it for about a month.
- When you want to enjoy it again, reheat it in the oven (sauce and all) for a few minutes until warmed through.
ENJOY!
The Best Baked Cod
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 4 cod fillets
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and heat it up. When skillet is hot, add olive oil and swirl around.
- Add chopped onions to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and season with ½ teaspoon oregano, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper; continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the white wine and vinegar; bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Season the fish with remaining oregano, remaining salt and pepper, plus paprika. Remove skillet from heat.
- Nestle the fish in the tomato mixture. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the feta cheese over the fish and continue to bake for 5 to 8 more minutes, or until cooked through and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
- Remove from oven.
- Garnish with basil or parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
- NET CARBS: 8 g
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
More Seafood Dinner Ideas
Looking for more simple yet flavorful seafood dinner recipes? Try these ones:
