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 grewĀ 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 friesĀ 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.
The cod looks absolutely perfectly cooked! Mmmm . . . now you’ll have to tell us what would make a great accompaniment.
Parmesan crusted asparagus
That looks SO good! I bet you get such great seafood out there. Keep it up, Gaby!
i love the color from the paprika! what a beautiful dish- and it looks nice and light too!
This was the best fish I have EVER had!!!! Will be making this often for years to come! YUM!!!
awwwww thanks Tami!! xxoo
How many servings does this make ? How much fish for this recipe ?
serves 4!
I don’t eat fish or seafood, but made this for my husband. He said it was really, really good. Maybe one of the best fish dishes he’s ever tasted.
this is the best baked fish I have ever had thanks
Do you cover this with foil when you bake it in the oven?
you can! but I don’t because then the first gets a really nice color š
Gaby, how much paprika do I use?
Hey Jacelyn!!! I’m actually re-posting this recipe in like 10 minutes so it will be updated momentarily!
I love how easy this is! Bookmarked!
Oh, Girl! It’s insane how much I want to be devouring this right now!
Love the bright clean flavors you used!
Looks like such a great dish! I love the crispiness of that crust!
This looks so good!! I am going to have to try this!
Do you use fresh fish or can you use frozen? Look deeeelish!
I used fresh – but you could use frozen! Just make sure to thaw it out entirely and then pat it dry before proceeding with the recipe!
I think the title of the recipe should be Baked. Not Baken. But I’m still going to make it. š
OMG!!! whoops š good call!
I LOVE simple!! And this will still be so flavorful!!
This cod sounds so nice, simple and good!
Sounds yummy. Looking forward to trying it out. I think home made oven chips to accompany, basically your parmesan roasted potatoes but cut into chunky sticks rather than cubed., and green veg, broccolli or peas. British person here!
Can I make this with Salmon?
I don’t see why not!! š
Wow, all I can say is mine nver looks this good. Terrific.
I love following you on snapchat and this is just a scrumptious recipe thank you xoxo
Can I use walleye fish. It is also a thick and meaty fillet.
totally!
Could I bake this in the morning and warm it up at night?
it would be better if you make it right before eating – fish is funny like that. BUT… it’s do-able
Going to try this recipe tomorrow night!!!!! I can’t wait!!!
Hi Gaby,
Looks delicious. Can I substitute Halibut for Cod?
you can!
Would almond flour work as a gluten free substitute?
yes!
LOL so I am also GF and subbed Arrowroot flour which was a terrible mistake. It turned into a gelatinous mess. Gross! I know in fancy restaurants people pay good money for “gel” but not this lady. I’ll try almond flour next time. The fish underneath was good once we scraped off the gel!
I loved this! Fish was perfect. I made a simple veggie fried rice with it. Thank you!
SO happy to hear! xo
Thank you Gady. This receip was awesome. The fish was the best fish ever. Thanks again!
The flavor was good; however, the coating was a little gummy vs crispy. I used frozen cod that was well thawed and patted dry. I used a glass 9×13 pan, maybe that was why. Dunno. Good to try something new though!
Does lemon juice take the fishy taste out of the fish when it’s cooked?
it sure does
For no carb diet, can dish be made without the breading?
totally!
gaby, I am making this today. the photo which caught my eye is completely different than your.
i am wondering if it is the same recipe
it’s the same! we’ve updated the photography since it’s an older recipe
Can I use flounder?? I find flounder to be a little less flaky and meaty though. I just already thawed out some flounder and don’t want to waste it. I can try it with cod tomorrow if not.
I haven’t tried it with Flounder but go for it!! LMK how it turns out! xx
Do you have the nutritional counts?
Can I make this using Mahi Mahi? Do you think that would change the baking time? I LOVE this recipe with cod, but would like to try a different fish.
you for sure could!! I haven’t tested it though
Made this tonight! So good! Had frozen cod from costco. Thawed it and patted dry with paper towel. Cooked it for 14 minutes and then turned on the broiler for about 3 minutes. It didn’t get much browner because I don’t think it came up to broil temp in time. Husband loved it. I loved it. Definitely making it again! Thanks!
It’s one week since Thanksgiving 2018 and I’ve finally finished the leftovers so I made this tonight using tilapia. Thought it was really good. Will try again and delete the flour to get it close to a Keto recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Gabby!
Finally going to try this tonight! Anything I can sub for lemon pepper seasoning? I donāt have that on hand.
Thanks!
Helen
you can use just regular cracked black pepper and then top it with some lemon juice
Made this tonight and placed the cod on a bed of sautƩed spinach. Wonderful flavors. Thank you for a great recipe. Will be making this often.
Yum! Turned out really good, best recipe Iāve made. Thank you!
Can I sub the flour for almond flour??
yes
Gaby,
My fish and broccolini turned out great however I felt as though this lacked flavor like the others recipes. My family and I were not a fan of the cod. What other fish would you recommend?
any firm white fish is a great option
Love this recipe and have made it twice now. Thank you!! I think about it for hours after Iāve eaten it
Can you put a baking dish under broiler?
I do all the time!
Can you use frozen fish in this recipe?
yes but make sure it’s totally thawed and blotted dry
Will coconut flour work in place of regular flour?
I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t say for sure!