Hands down the most simple way to prepare fish – Baked Lemon Cod is the easiest weeknight meal!
Want to hear a confession? When I took my first ever job as a private chef I have absolutely ZERO idea how to make fish. I grew up not eating it, and we hadn’t get covered fish in culinary school, and the family I was cooking for were big time fish lovers. So after getting over my initial fear of cooking fish, I threw together the simplest recipe I could imagine. Lemon, butter, salt, paprika and a fish that you can’t easily mess up – Cod! The result was mind blowing and I impressed even myself! It’s been on regular rotation ever since and it’s the perfect lightened up main course that you can serve alongside some pesto broccoli, perhaps a bowl of garlic herb sweetpotato fries or even some spicy green beans
Baked Lemon Cod
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
- 4 cod fillets 6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons zested lemon peel
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a shallow bowl, mix lemon juice and butter. In a separate shallow bowl, mix flour and seasonings. Dip fillets in lemon juice mixture, then in flour mixture to coat both sides.
- Place the prepped fish in a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice mixture. Bake 12-15 minutes or until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork. Broil for the last 60 seconds to get a little bit of a golden crust.
- Garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
I will be trying this! Do I need to flip the fish halfway through baking to get the bottom side crispy?
no need to flip!! coating will crisp up!
This is so easy to make! We liked it best using fresh cod, vs. frozen.
I am confused I don’t see panko on the ingredient list?
my mistake!! no panko! coating will crisp!
Followed the recipe and the flavor was great but the breading was not crispy. Cooked for 15 mins plus 2 mins in broiler. Not sure what happened.
This is a very tasty dish that has become a staple in our house. My husband and my son both love it. We either make it with roasted potatoes or lay it over a bed of rice and add the drippings from the pan. Highly recommend this recipe.
SO happy to hear that!
My family and I love this recipe!!! I was having trouble getting a golden crust until I realized my pan wasn’t exactly in the center of the oven. It is so good with cheesy pearl couscous and asparagus!! Thank you so much for this dinner staple!
This has become me of our go to recipes. Has anyone tried the batter with scallops or another fish?
I have made this twice and the coating doesn’t crisp up on the bottom. I’ve tried almond flour once and all purpose flour another time. Not sure what I can do to make it better? I’ve used previously frozen fillets from Butchers Box, is that the problem, and I should use fresh fillets? Or pat them dry before putting the coating on it? I really want this to be a success on my third try!
If they are frozen – yes make sure they are SUPER dry before breading!! And all-purpose flour is your best bet! You could mix in a few tablespoons of panko if you want it even more crispy
Made this in 2019 and I’m still making it I love it and how simple it is, it’s kid approved my now 7 year old son still loves it! I use almond flour instead of all purpose and works just as great 🙂
A little too salty. Next time I will reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp and broil s little longer. Tasty.
Great recipe and easy to revise. My fillets were thick, so I decided to add Italian breadcrumbs to the flour mix (used smoked paprika) and fried each side for a few minutes in oil before putting the pan in a pre-heated 400-degree oven to finish cooking the middle. My husband raved about how tasty the fish was.
Hands down the best cod I’ve ever had. It’s a 10!
I’d like to make this for my mom, but she’s severely lactose intolerant. Could I substitute olive oil (or something else) for the butter?
Thank you.
Hi Gaby! Do you recommend using unsalted butter for this? I used salted and I think that might be what made mine too salty. Just curious what you use!
yes! I always use unsalted!
10/10 This recipe was delicious and I can’t believe how easy it was to make! Thank you Gaby!
Loved the flavor in this recipe! But it didn’t get crispy. Can I air fry it?
Sure can