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.
One of my family favorite dinners ❤️ Flavors are amazing with my favorites herbs but left the cilantro out😔 my family is not a big fan of cilantro as me😂 but overall amazing
Love this recipe. The tomato topping is awesome! I added some lemon juice and some lemon zest, and cooked the tomatoes with a little bit of dry white wine and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever made!
Amazing! I left out the sugar, otherwise made it as written. My herb butter had chives and tarragon, plus a 1/2 tsp of grainy mustard and splash of lemon juice.
Excellent, will be my cod go to dish. Husband loved it too and put capers on top and fresh pasta underneath.
We enjoyed this recipe, but it lacked ‘something’. We are saving leftovers to have fish tacos tomorrow. We’ll give it a week.
Fabulous!!! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious! I only left out the lemon. Definitely a keeper
This was excellent! I used dried herbs instead of fresh (didn’t have any) and still came out great!
Served this with zucchini and rice.
I was afraid to make this a second time because I didn’t think it was possible to be as delicious as the first time!! But after the third time now, I can say it is foolproof! Every time my husband says “this is the best fish I’ve ever had!”
Excellent!
This was an excellent recipe. I printed off 3 copies at work to share with my friends! It’s pretty, low calorie, and delicious. I made the rice a few nights before, so making the fish when I walked in at 5pm was quick and easy. Thanks!
Omg this recipe! Y’all, you NEED to try this!! I substituted my vegan butter and wow! It is delicious and the flavor levels – amazing! I felt like I was eating a recipe from Italy. Also for the herbs I just used parsley and basil and it was perfect! Please try this if you want to try a decadent recipe with an amazing flavor profile!
Thank you Laura for such a wonderful review! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cod.
Made this exactly according to the recipe.
Sauce was fantastic— I could drink it.
My new favorite fish recipe!
Made this tonight with roasted cauliflower & it was wonderful & so easy! The only thing I added was a small amount of capers, only because the almost empty jar caught my eye when I was looking in the fridge. And, I put the fish into the sauté pan with the sauce (heat off) to hold for the final two minute rest instead of pouring the sauce over the fish while in the baking dish. Sheer perfection.
This was delicious! I added spinach to the sauce, added a bit of cornstarch slurry and heavy cream at the end. I served the cod on the spinach and then added the sauce. It was heavenly! AND easy!
So good!! I must say, this is one of my new favorite meals, and my picky fiancé loved it. You have to try it, there’s no way to describe how good it is. I’ve been branching out cooking cod in different ways other than the basic New England style cracker crumb topping. So happy I found this
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the feedback Lindsay!
Do I have to use sugar?
Sugar cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes. You can substitute sugar with another sweetener if you like.
This was delicious!!! I served this as a fish pasta for a good friday lunch this past easter and it was a huge hit!!
I’ve even made the herb butter as just a pasta base its that good. With some fresh crusty bread on the side, delish!
I have made this recipe three times in the last month and I am not one to frequently repeat recipes. It is wonderful and always makes my husband very happy besides being very easy to prepare. This one is a true winner.
Thank you Debbie! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Would frozen cod be okay?
Yes but you would need to thaw out the cod and pat dry before baking.