Best Baked Cod Recipe Ever
This cod recipe is one of the best meals I’ve ever made, but don’t just take my word for it! With over 100 ratings and a 5-star review, it’s loved by readers, too. In fact, it has continued to be one of the most popular recipes on the site since I first posted it in 2016, getting millions of page views on a regular basis.
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Buttery Cod Fish Recipe
A quick, easy meal, it features tender, flakey cod coated in a decadent tomato herb butter sauce and is ready to eat in under an hour.
I love to prepare it for friends and family, and they always beg me for the recipe, because they don’t believe it didn’t come from a restaurant! It’s so tasty that even those who don’t love fish ask for seconds.
We love to serve it with rice, quinoa, or crust bread to soak up all the sauce. And you can never go wrong with a side salad, too.
My Take on The Butter and Tomato Cod Recipe
So I changed the recipe up a bit and put my own little spin and it’s seriously the best cod recipe out there.
It’s basically garlic, shallots, tomatoes, spices and broth simmered until tomatoes burst and release their juices. Then you stir in the butter and fresh herbs and OMG!
The result is velvety, thick, slightly spicy and sweet butter that you will want to eat by a spoonful.
Plus all those juices on the bottom of the pan…(my heart) ♥
Cod Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Aromatics: Shallot and garlic.
- Oil: I like to use olive oil, but avocado oil will also work.
- Tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Chicken stock: Use homemade chicken stock or store-bought stock.
- Herbs and spices: Kosher salt, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped herbs (basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, etc.)
- Granulated sugar: Helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is best.
- Lemon: Lemon juice adds brightness and helps tenderize the fish. Freshly squeezed is best, but bottled varieties will also work.
- Cod fillets: Look for fresh cod that is bright, moist, and firm.
How to Make The Best Baked Cod Recipe Ever
You’ll need a small saucepan and a casserole dish for this recipe. The recipe card below has all the details you need.
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and sauté until soft, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, sea salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Simmer uncovered until the tomatoes break down and release their juices and the liquid has almost evaporated.
Step 3: Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the butter and fresh herbs. Cover to keep warm while preparing the fish.
Step 4: Drizzle the bottom of the casserole dish lightly with olive oil.
Step 5: Use a clean paper towel to pat the cod dry, and arrange it in a single layer in the dish. Season generously with salt and pepper, and drizzle the top with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 6: Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove the cod from the oven, and spread the tomato butter on top.
Step 7: Cover the casserole dish again, and let it stand for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs, if desired, and enjoy warm.
How to Serve This Recipe For Cod
You can serve it with rice, quinoa, or my favorite…crusty bread to soak in all the juices. I mean does it get better than that!?
I’m really hoping you give this baked cod with butter a try and even if you’re not a fish lover, I think it will change your mind.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Baked Cod
Store leftover cod with tomato herb butter in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
More Baked Cod Recipes
- Cod in Creamy Roasted Pepper Sauce
- Baked Fish and Vegetables in Foil Packets
- Blackened Salmon Lettuce Wraps – you can easily sub cod for this recipe
- Bruschetta Baked Cod with Panko
Video: How to Make Cod with Tomato and Herb Butter
Recipe for Baked Cod
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Most tender, flakiest, and flavorful cod you will ever make! This tomato and herb butter compliments the mild tasting cod in the most delicious way ever. It will be the only baked cod with butter you will crave time after time.
Ingredients
Tomato and Herb Butter
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, sliced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped herbs (basil, parsley, chives, cilantro), plus extra for garnish
Cod
- 2 – 2 1/4 pounds fresh cod fillets, cut into 6-8 oz. portions*
- 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Tomato and Herb Butter
- In a small saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté shallot and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, chicken stock, sea salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-17 minutes or until tomatoes break down and release their juices and liquid has almost evaporated.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter and fresh herbs. The herb butter should be velvety and thick. Cover and keep warm while the cod is baking.
Cod
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Drizzle the bottom of a casserole dish lightly with olive oil. You want a dish big enough to fit the cod in a single layer with some room around or you will get too much juice during baking.
- Pat dry the cod really well and place in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste but be generous. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil and squeeze of fresh lemon. I used about 1/2 lemon. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 12-18 minutes or until easily flaked. Baking time will depend on the thickness of the cod.
- Remove from the oven and evenly spread the tomato butter over the cod. Cover back with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 minutes before serving. You just want all the flavors to come together.
- Garnish with fresh chopped herbs, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
*I used about 2 1/4 pounds of cod that I was able to cut into six (6-8 oz.) individual portions
**This cod serves really well with cooked rice, quinoa, or crusty bread to soak up all the juices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 (6-8 oz.) fillet plus sauce
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 383.3 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.8 g
- Protein: 57.7 g
- Cholesterol: 168.7 mg
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
recipe we made this tonight and it was delicious although we used different herbs than suggested
Thank you
Thank you!
Oh my god. This recipe is so delicious. Made it last night and we both loved it. Came across your recipe and wondering why got 5 stars. Have it a go and not disappointed at all. I’ll have to make it often.
Thanks a million for a super good tasty recipe.
Thank you so much!
Excellent recipe. Made the cod in a skillet and added the tomato-herb-butter mixture instead of baking it. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you for posting.
Thank you Lilly! Appreciate your feedback.
WOW. All I can say right now is WWOOWW. My 1.5 year old scarfed this!! Made exactly as written. I used fresh basil and parsley as well as dried dill weed. He ate his entire plate which I paired w plain rice and then had seconds of fish and tomatoes. This is an absolute home run and I am so happy I came across this!!!! Thank you!
Thank you so much Nicole! So glad your little one enjoyed it!
Strange question… but do you think this sauce will work on Chicken breast? I made the cod on Monday and it was aaaamazing! But I’m cooking for a friends that can’t eat fish.
Hi Lisa: I think it would all depend on how you cook the chicken breast but yes, I think it would work.
Super GOOD recipe!!! My new favorite. Made it with penne pasta and of course some baguette bread for dipping! Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you Stacey! IT sounds wonderful.
This fish dish is the best ever. Since making it has become our Fruday night special dish. Have shared recipe with my friends and my daughter. Never a failure. Thank you
Thank you so much Sue-Ellen! So happy you are enjoying it.
How delicious this is! I did add mushrooms, calamata olives which enhanced the flavor. I did pour off the water in the baking dish prior to adding the sauce. I’ll be making this again!
Thank you Judy! Addition of mushrooms sounds amazing!
Absolutely phenomenal! 5 stars
Thank you!
Excellent! served with quinoa and it mixed very well with this. Will definitely make this again. I will use when entertaining. Easy to do but very very tasty.
Thank you Jerry. So glad you enjoyed it!
A absolutely amazing dish for a cold night on the Vermilion River in Birmingham Ohio. Katya you have out done yourself on this one. Thank you!
Thank you so much Art! So glad you enjoyed it.
Can I give this recipe 10 stars please! Wow! Super healthy, delicious, super fast and easy to prepare! Need more recipes like this one!
Oh wow! Thank you SO much Erin. You made my day 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the cod!
This was sooo yummy. I followed the recipe exactly except I seasoned the fish with creole seasoning and garlic salt. Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper.
Thanks so much Teshia! So glad you loved it.
So delicious. Very easy and quick to make. High in protein, low in calories and fat. Served with rice and steamed broccoli. Beautiful.
Thank you Deb! So happy you loved it. We love this over rice as well!
My lovely wife made this for me. Loved it. The little heat from the pepper flakes really compliments the cod. We didn’t have shallots so she used finely chopped sweet onion. And it looks easy enough for me to do. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Tom B
Thanks so much Tom! I so appreciate your feedback and so glad you all enjoyed it.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I will be making this again !
Thanks so much Bri!
Made this tonight with salmon!!
To simplify it a bit more, I poached the fish in the tomato-broth mixture until cooked then removed the fish and finished off the sauce with the butter and the herbs.
(I eliminated the sugar, but I think that just depends on how sweet your tomatoes are)
The dish looked so elegant and the broth was amazing. My only wish is that we had served it with bread to soak up the rest of the broth!
Thank you!
Thank you Dorothy! Glad you enjoyed it.
My cod released a lot of liquid while cooking..I drain it before adding the butter/herb sauce?
Hello, I made this last night and the dish is amazing. I used 4 portions of defrosted tilapia, 1.5 times the herbs (with fresh also on top), and since my son is anaphylactic to dairy, I used Earth Balance Soy-Free spread (by far the tastiest; far better than butter)! (I’m not plugging here, but butter is now way too fatty tasting after all these years.) My son, almost 18 now, ate Two portions. I’m had the leftovers lightly microwaved tonight, and it’s even better than last night!!! THANK YOU FOR A FOREVER RECIPE FOR WHITE FISH!!!
That’s great Ellen! So glad you enjoyed it.
Just made this tonight for my family. It was fresh and savory. I saved the recipe to make with other kinds of fish and chicken. Hey, I just might bath in it! Thanks, Katya!
Ha ha! Glad you enjoyed it Darryl. Thanks 🙂