This easy baked cod recipe comes together in just over 20 minutes, but there is a reason it is a big fan favorite! Tender, perfectly flaky cod, tossed in bold Mediterranean spices and baked with a tasty garlic and lemon sauce.
Fish is one of the staples of the Mediterranean diet, so my family tries to eat fish about twice per week.
Luckily, there are so many ways to prepare a tasty fish dinner. Sometimes, I go for a big baked salmon, a hearty fish soup, or something different like a saucy Moroccan fish.
But one of my favorite go-to dinners is this easy lemon baked cod! And it is the #1 fish recipe on my site, for good reason!
Why this cod recipe works?
Cod fillet is a beautiful fish that is quick to cook, tender and mild-tasting so you can easily give it some big flavors!
This baked cod recipe takes on some bold Mediterranean flavors with a tasty garlic and lemon sauce and a few warm spices, including coriander, paprika, and cumin.
Best part? You can make this lemon baked cod in just over 20 minutes from start-to-finish!
Can I use frozen cod fish in this recipe?
Fresh vs. frozen? This is one of the questions I get regularly about cooking with fish. More often than not, frozen is the better option for quality wild-caught fish.
Depending on where you live in the States, the “fresh” fish you may find sitting on ice at the fish counter was likely frozen and thawed before it was displayed. Whereas, flash frozen fish is caught and quickly frozen at the peak of its freshness, and it is often more affordable.
If you find quality frozen fish fillet (sometimes labeled cod loin), it will work in this baked cod recipe but be sure to thaw it properly before use.
How to thaw frozen fish?
Frozen fish fillets thaw quickly in about 15 to 20 minutes. Here is how:
- First, be sure to leave the fish in its vacuum-packaging. If it is not in some sort of packaging, place it in a zip-top bag (do not place it water “naked”).
- Arrange the vacuum-sealed fish in a bowl and cover it with cold tap water. Do NOT use warm or hot water; This creates more risk for bacterial growth and will also affect the texture of the fish,
- Check after 15 to 20 minutes to see if the fish feels tender and thawed through. If it is hard in some parts, leave it in for a little big longer.
How to bake cod and what temperature is best?
First, what temperature should cod be cooked at? For baked cod, I typically set my oven to 400 degrees F. How long? Depending on the thickness of your cod fillet, it could take about 10 to 15 minutes in the oven.
In this cod recipe, I use about 1 1/2 pounds of cod fillet, and it helps to use a large oven-safe baking dish or a cast-iron skillet. Here is how to make it:
- First, start by lightly coating the cod fillets in some well-seasoned flour. To do this, prepare a dredging station.
- In one shallow bowl prepare the lemon sauce by mixing together 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and 2 tbsp melted butter.
- In another shallow bowl, mix together 1/3 cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp ground coriander, 3/4 tsp sweet Spanish paprika, 3/4 tsp ground cumin, and 3/4 tsp kosher salt.
- Dip the fish in the lemon sauce, then coat it well with the flour mixture. Keep the lemon sauce for later use.
- Sear the fish. To give the cod some good color and texture, sear it in olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side.
- Add the lemon sauce. Now, to the lemon sauce, add 5 minced garlic cloves (so much flavor), then pour it over the cod.
- Bake in 400 degrees F heated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cod is cooked through. The fish is ready when it turns a beautiful white opaque and flakes easily when you take a fork to it.
- Garnish and serve! I love adding some parsley for a pop of green!
What to serve with this cod recipe?
To complete this fish dinner, I always like to add a big salad and a simple side. I have some ideas that will go perfectly with this cod. To add more Greek flavors, try out our Greek salad. Or give this Lebanese fattoush salad a try. If you’re looking for some beans in your salad, try our Mediterranean bean salad or chickpea salad.
For vegetarian sides, you might want to try out these hearty recipes: roasted broccoli, asparagus with salsa, or stuffed zucchini boats.
For starchy sides, give these a try: mustard potato salad, Greek-style oven fries, or lemon rice.
And to keep with a Greek theme, why not add a dip like Miletzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip) or Tzatziki with some pita chips to serve!
Can I refrigerate or freeze leftover cooked fish?
When I make this baked cod recipe, I don’t typically have leftovers. And as with all fish recipes, it is best eaten fresh on the day it is cooked, particularly because often times the fish was already frozen before it was cooked.
But, a reader recently asked this relevant question as she cooks for fewer people. Depending on how fresh the fish was to begin with, you can store the leftovers either in the fridge or even in the freezer. First, cool the fish a little, but don’t leave it in room temperature for more than 1 hour before refrigerating or freezing.
Arrange the cod in a shallow glass container with a tight lid and refrigerate for up to 2 days. If you need to warm it up, simply use a medium-heated oven until just warmed through (there is always a chance the fish will be overcooked when you warm it up again).
Generally, cooked fish can be frozen for up to 1 month. My personal preference is not to freeze it, because I feel the texture of the fish changes a little.
More recipes to try
- Whole Roasted Snapper with Garlic and Veggies
- Easy Seafood Paella
- Shrimp Kabobs
- Greek Chicken and Potatoes
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
Craving more? Check out fish recipes. You may also like our to browse top Mediterranean diet recipes.
Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients.
Baked Cod Recipe with Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Cod fillet pieces, 4-6 pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Lemon Sauce
- 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
For Coating
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, and melted butter in a shallow bowl (do not add the garlic yet). Set aside.
- In another shallow bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, spices, salt and pepper. Set next to the lemon sauce.
- Pat the fish dry. Dip the fish in the lemon sauce then dip it in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour. Reserve the lemon sauce for later.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or an oven-safe pan) over medium-high heat (watch the oil to be sure it is shimmering but not smoking). Add the fish and sear on each side to give it some color, but do not fully cook (about 2 minutes on each side). Remove the skillet from heat.
- To the remaining lemon sauce, add the minced garlic and mix. Drizzle all over the fish fillets.
- Bake in the heated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork (10 minutes should do it, but begin checking earlier). Remove from the heat and sprinkle chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Serving suggestions: Serve immediately with Lebanese rice and this Mediterranean chickpea salad or traditional Greek salad.
- Cook’s Tip: This recipe has been edited adding step #5 to achieve more color. Be sure to use a fish spatula to carefully turn the fish in the skillet.
- Leftover Storage: If you have any leftovers, let the fish cool a bit, then arrange in a shallow glass container with a tight lid. You can refrigerate for 2 to 3 days, or freeze for up to one month. My personal preference is not to freeze fish as, sometimes, the texture does change.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices.
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2017 and has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
This recipe was perfection! I was able to whip everything up rather smoothly, and the fish was amazing with flavor. Very forgiving, as I altered the mixture with Cumin with Coriander powder.. and the flavor, amazing!
Thank you for such a great recipe!
My family and I love cod and I saw this recipe on Facebook and thought I would try it out. We had it for dinner tonight and it was truly awful. My whole family ended up scraping the outside off so we could eat the cod in the middle. I promise I followed the recipe to the T and it did come out looking amazing visually, just like the pictures here on this page. I am absolutely not saying this site is awful, and other people seem to like this, but for my family (who are not picky) and me (I consider myself a skilled cook, certainly skilled enough to execute a simple recipe like this) it just did not taste right. I think the combination of coriander/cumin/paprika really steal the show from the lemon and garlic I was hoping to enjoy based off of the video and the recipe name. I’ve been trying out a lot of TikTok/Reels recipes recently and there’s a few of them that look good and don’t taste good – this is one of them. I am hoping to try a few more from this site as my family has been into Mediterranean dishes a lot recently so I’m hoping to find a winner next time!
I had the complete opposite experience. The lemon & garlic shines through. I don’t consume TikTok-esque videos and went old school with following the recipes. I can’t wait to have this again for dinner!
Great flavor. Fish cooks fast. Don’t overcook. Unless you have thick cod filets, cook time should be reduced.
Great advice! Thanks, Tom!
Made this recipe tonight for company. We were 5 people and I made 8 pieces of cod. It was so good and there was not a piece left! Served it with Spinach with garlic and oil and Greek Lemon Potatoes.
What a feast!! Thanks so much, MaryLou!
Absolutely delicious with the warm spices
okay, listen. fish and i? we have never been friends. ever. i have hated all seafood since being in the womb. bet on it. BUT- i’ve been trying to eat better to be here longer with my kids. so i was willing to give fish a try. again. despite it being awful every single time. not one good experience. anyway. Suzy+team have yet to disappoint. never once have i had to alter a recipe to make it a little better. they have always delivered and so i figured of all the places to get a recipe for fish that won’t give me the heeby jeebies, this would be it. AND BOY WAS THAT RIGHT! i have never in my life said, “wow, that’s so good!” to any fish dish. EVER. had two helpings (whoops) and my life has been changed. if there’s anyone reading this that’s like… wow, i hate fish. no, friend. you hateD fish. now you love it
What an amazing review, Annika! Thank you so much!
Another winner! Because of the comments, I cut the oil to 3 tbsp and no butter, otherwise, I followed the recipe as is. The cod turned out amazing!! I love how crispy it was on the outside and really light and fluffy on the inside. Delicious!
Thanks so much, Maria!
Personally I would miss out the flour next time I cook this
sounds really good making later will post again then…..
Can’t wait to hear!
A delicious and flavourful recipe!
Thanks for this one, the family loved it!
Yay! Thanks so much, Sara!
What a great recipe, definitely in our regular rotation.
Just one important point- frozen fish should never be thawed in the original vacuum pack due to the anaerobic environment and concerns of potential botulism growth.
Vacuum packed filets should be removed from the package and placed in a separate zip top bag or covered with plastic wrap to thaw.
Unfortunately didn’t work out for me. There was so much oil and butter it almost made me feel sick to eat it.
Same 🙁 Maybe I did something wrong but it was almost like a film of mush.
This is a fantastic recipe. Easy to make and oh so delicious. Thank you for this dish.
My family was very disappointed with the texture of the fish in this recipe. We cook fish at least once a week but decided to try a new approach. This was not a winner for us. The “crust” didn’t crisp. The method was not right for this kind of fish. The concept was good but does not execute ideally. The flavor as just okay but was definitely overshadowed by the disappointing texture of the coating.
Hi, Mandy. I’m so sorry this did turn out quite like you expected. One thing to note about this particular recipe is that the fish isn’t necessarily meant to be crunchy/crispy, given the lemony sauce used to bake. It turns out more delicate and saucy. If you prefer a more crunchy texture, you may want to try the fried fish in Suzy’s Fried Fish Sandwich recipe instead.
Loved it. I added broccoli to the pan before putting it in the oven. Made a side of rice and it was a perfect weeknight dinner
Delicious! Halved the recipe for two of us; husband loved it. I usually fix my cod in the air fryer as I am not a fan of dipping and dredging, but this was totally worth my mess😁 Thanks for a great and tasty recipe!
Thanks, Patti!