Cod with Tomato and Herb Butter
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 tomato recipe you will crave time after time.
Serve this baked cod over Cauliflower Mash with Ricotta and Roasted Garlic with a side of Roasted Garlic Green Beans for a complete meal.
Baked Cod
Okay friends. So this recipe has been a long time in the making. Three months is a long time for me and don’t ask why it took so long to share.
But I came across a tomato and herb butter recipe beginning of the summer in the Cooking Light magazine and let me tell you, it was everything, plus more!
You guys know that I try to limit butter and processed foods on this blog but believe me when I say a little goes a long way here.
I can’t get over how flavorful the herb butter is, especially when paired with a mild and lean fish like cod.
Best 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. It truly is.
This melted butter sauce over baked cod is one delicious baked cod with butter dinner. Plus all those juices on the bottom of the pan…(my heart) ♥
To bake the fresh cod. All you need to do is pre-heat the oven to 400 F degrees. Toss the cod fillets with little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or so, depending on the thickness or until easily flakes with a fork.
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.
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
Cod with Tomato and Herb Butter
- 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
Best recipe ever!
Just wanted to add that I made this with orzo which I added olive oil & capers too & then asparagus tips – delish
Gosh that sounds delicious!
Thanks so much!
This recipe was amazing, my son who is home from college due to covid-19 went back for seconds until it was all gone. I cant wait until covid-19 is over so I can prepare this for guest. Amazing!!!
So happy to hear that! Thank you Sedalia.
This recipe is amazing, my fiancé LOVES it! He wanted me to cook this when his friends came over.
That’s so great! Thank you Christy.
So so so good! This is going into my recipe file. There isn’t a thing I would change in the recipe 😊
Thank you Leah!
Big Hit. so easy and delicious. I w ill definitely do it again . I might add a little anchovy paste with the shallots and garlic to give it a bit more depth, but then I add anchovy paste to many things.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for feedback.
I made this recipe tonight for supper. It was delicious. I used frozen pollock as that is all I had on hand. It is something to redo. Thank you.
Thank you!
Can I use a whole cod?
You definitely can. You might just have to adjust the bake time.
AWESOME! boiled sauce about 10 min then added a little cornstarch slurry to thicken it. Perfect!
Excellent! We loved it and had all the ingredients on hand. It took forever for the stock to boil off. I was thinking to half the quantity next time, but maybe the tomatoes were just extra juicy?
It could also depend on the size of the pan used. The more smaller the pan the longer it will take to cook-off. But glad you enjoyed the recipe. thanks for the feedback.
This is my go-to fish recipe!
I serve it with a side of Steamed Green Beans and Garlic Butter Couscous.
The butter sauce from the fish soaks perfectly into the Couscous😍
It sounds delicious with couscous! Thank you for sharing and leaving feedback.
The butter sauce is so good over the side of rice. I love fish and this is a wonderful recipe for it. Thanks!
I made this for a dinner party and it was amazing. I don’t usually experiment with guests but your recipe had so many nice reviews. I made it with orzo. I can’t wait to make it again. It really is a keeper. Thank you so much.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for feedback Anne.
Wow! This was great. The sauce is superb. I used only about half the butter and it was still creamy velvety delicious. We can’t wait to have it again! Served it with brown rice and steamed green beans.
Thank you Joan!
Can I use tilapia instead of cod? Thanks
You definitely can. Just adjust the cooking time for tilapia.
This is one of our favorite Cod Recipes. Perfect every time and that tomato herb butter sauce is amazing!
Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe many times now. Once I even used it as pasta sauce and the combination was great! . It is delicious! For herbs, I only use fresh basil from my kitchen plants.
I thought I lost this recipe but I found it again! Hands down the tastiest, easiest, sauce to make. It is delicious. My husband couldn’t get enough of it, seriously, he barely left any for us. Haha
Thank you Winnie! So appreciate your feedback and happy to hear that you loved this cod recipe.
Love this recipe! Scaled down the butter just a tad, subbed in wine for the broth, left out the sugar and forgot the lemon (which I really wanted), and the recipe still rocked! Best thing about this is how quick and healthy it is, yet elegant enough to serve to guests or on special occasions. Thanks, this one is going in my “favorites.”
Thank you Phyllis! So happy the recipe was a success for you!
I would like to make this recipe just for 2 servings. How can I adjust the measurements of the rest ingredients to reflect 2 servings vs. 6?
You can cut the cod recipe in half but make the entire recipe for the tomato herb butter and refrigerate the leftovers. It’ll last in the refrigerator up to a week and is good with pasta, chicken, and other mild tasting fish.
Awesomeness! So easy and so good. Made as is. My only thing was my tomatoes had not yet broken down and all my liquid was gone. So I added more broth and covered my pan for a few minutes and they softened up right away. I only used fresh basil.