Baked Cod Lemon Butter (Print Version)
Moist cod fillets baked with lemon butter and fresh herbs for an elegant main dish.
# What You Need:
→ Fish
01 - Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless cod fillets
02 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Lemon Butter Sauce
04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
05 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
07 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
→ Garnish
11 - Fresh lemon slices
12 - Additional chopped fresh herbs
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer.
02 - Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels, then season both sides evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange them in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and minced garlic until well combined.
04 - Pour the lemon butter sauce evenly over the cod fillets, then sprinkle with chopped parsley and optional dill.
05 - Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque throughout.
06 - Remove from the oven, spoon pan sauce over the fillets, and garnish with fresh lemon slices and additional herbs. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The fish stays impossibly moist because the butter shields it from drying out in the oven.
- You can have dinner on the table in thirty minutes flat, no stress, no complicated techniques.
- That golden, lemony pan sauce is so good you'll want to spoon it over everything on your plate.
02 -
- Wet fish will steam instead of bake, so that paper towel step is non-negotiable if you want that delicate, moist texture.
- Don't overbake or the fish goes from tender to rubbery in what feels like seconds, so set a timer and start checking at fifteen minutes.
03 -
- If your oven runs hot, check the fish at the twelve-minute mark because ovens vary wildly and there's no worse feeling than realizing you've overcooked delicate fish.
- Make the sauce while the oven preheats so everything is ready to go and you're not scrambling; this whole dish works because it's genuinely easy and low-stress.