Hands down the most simple way to prepare fish - Baked Lemon Cod is the easiest weeknight meal!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
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! You can whip up an amazing pan fried sole with lemon using similar and few ingredients in no time. 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.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Paprika
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Cod
- Fresh Parsley
- Lemon
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Baked Lemon Cod
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: Broil for the last 60 seconds to get a little bit of a golden crust. Garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
How to Store Baked Lemon Cod
Best eaten fresh, but you can store this in the fridge for 2-3 days. Warm it up in the oven when it is time to eat.
Tips & Tricks
I love to serve this with rice or pasta and a veggie.
FAQs
It adds a little kick but is not too spicy, feel free to lower it or skip it if you would rather not.
Add a salad, some fries or a veggie side like broccoli or green beans.
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If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Baked Lemon Cod
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
- 1.5 pounds cod cut into 4 equal pieces
- 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.
Can you use frozen fish in this recipe?
yes but make sure it's totally thawed and blotted dry
Can you put a baking dish under broiler?
I do all the time!
Love this recipe and have made it twice now. Thank you!! I think about it for hours after I’ve eaten it
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
Can I sub the flour for almond flour??
yes
Yum! Turned out really good, best recipe I’ve made. Thank you!
Made this tonight and placed the cod on a bed of sautéed spinach. Wonderful flavors. Thank you for a great recipe. Will be making this often.
Hi Gabby!
Finally going to try this tonight! Anything I can sub for lemon pepper seasoning? I don’t have that on hand.
Thanks!
Helen
you can use just regular cracked black pepper and then top it with some lemon juice
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!
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!
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
Do you have the nutritional counts?
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
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
For no carb diet, can dish be made without the breading?
totally!