Add the best Baked Cod to your must-try-dinners list! This homemade fish dinner is flaky, perfectly seasoned, and a really good option that the whole family will enjoy!
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! This baked cod is deliciously flaky and well-seasoned with sweet paprika and several other spices. I top the cod with feta cheese and tomatoes, which adds a whole new level of flavor resulting in a nutritious dinner that’s also tasty and delicious.
Why We Love This Fish Recipe
- A cod fillet is just as meaty as salmon or baked tilapia and holds up well in a variety of recipes.
- The delicious sauce with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese makes one unbelievably flavorful and nutritious dinner.
- Baked cod is so easy and quick to make. It only needs about 15 minutes in the oven. The rest of the recipe is dedicated to the tasty tomatoes and feta.
Ingredients For Baked Cod
- 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.
How to Make Baked Cod
Preparing this fish recipe will only take about 30 minutes, making it an easy dinner for those busy days.
- Preheat Oven to 400˚F: Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and heat it up. Add the olive oil and swirl it around.
- Cook the Onion: Add chopped onions to the skillet and cook until soft. Stir in garlic.
- Cook the Tomatoes: Add tomatoes and season with oregano, salt, and black pepper; continue to cook for a minute. Stir in the white wine and vinegar; bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Bake the Cod: Season the fish with remaining oregano, salt, and pepper, plus paprika. Remove the skillet from heat. Nestle the cod fillets in the tomato mixture and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add Cheese: Sprinkle the feta cheese over the fish and continue to bake until cooked through and the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Bake Until Flaky: If you take a fork to the edges and pieces flake off, the cod is done! Using a meat thermometer can also help you get a more accurate read. Cod is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 145˚F.
- Add Lemon Juice: Squeezing some lemon juice over your fish enhances the flavor even more – you could slice up some lemon wedges to serve on your plates so that people can do it individually.
- Remove the Skin: I prefer to make this recipe with no skin on the cod – it’s easier to season and serve this way.
- Use Frozen Cod: If fresh isn’t available, you can use frozen fillets. If you can’t get cod, use any other white fish fillets, like tilapia or haddock, to make this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve almost anything with this cod dinner, but I like to make something like Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce to go alongside it. These Easy Oven Roasted Vegetables are also great! You can keep it simple with this Mediterranean rice recipe or pair it with a light Mediterranean Cobb Salad.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 4 days or freeze for 1 month. Reheat it in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes or until warm.
Delicious Seafood Dinners
- San Francisco Cioppino
- Grilled Salmon Kabobs with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Roasted Mahi Mahi with Veggies
- Garlic Butter Scallops
- Maryland-Style Crab Cakes
- Honey Garlic Sauce Salmon
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 the skillet is hot, add olive oil and swirl it around the skillet.
- Add chopped onions to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in the 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 and bake in the preheated oven 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 and serve.
Notes
- Cod Fillets: Cod is a white, mild-flavored fish, and it can be baked, broiled, grilled, fried, or poached. Feel free to use other white fish fillets, like tilapia or haddock, to make this recipe.
- Season Well: Cod has a delicate flavor, so don’t be afraid to season it well. Salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and a drizzle of lemon juice are basic starts. Feel free to experiment with other herbs and spices.
- Don’t Overcook: Overcooked cod can become dry and lose its delicate texture. The fish is ready when it easily flakes with a fork, and the internal temperature registers at 145˚F on a meat thermometer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
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.
So tasty! Tangy with the lemon and acidic with the tomatoes, and I added dill instead of oregano and it was a bit of a softer taste- could have upped the seasonings. Used goat cheese instead of feta and it was extra creamy when mixed together! Added spinach for some greens and it went super well with the flavours. Can’t wait to make again! I used pretty thin fillets and it still took about 14-16 mins to cook in the oven
Very tasty and easy to prepare. With the Feta cheese, it becomes a bit too salty so next time I will cut down on the salt.
Do I need to defrost the cod before cooking? What is the best way to defrost?
The recipe looks great and I have frozen cod fillets in freezer.
Thank you
While you can use frozen cod, I would suggest to defrost just so you don’t end up with a watery sauce. Best and fastest way to defrost fish is to keep it in a sealed bag and put it in cold water.
Can I use something instead of feta. Not my favorite
Any crumbled, soft cheese will work. You can use goat cheese, cotija, bleu cheese, etc… Or you can just leave out the cheese. 😊
Thank you for the healthy recipes!!! I love them.
I’m very glad you enjoy them! Thank YOU! 🙂