Lemon Garlic Baked Cod - Alaskan Cod is slathered in a tasty lemon garlic mixture and baked to perfection.
This post was sponsored by Alaska Seafood as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Fish is a wonderful option all year long. I associate fish with summer but chances are you can find fresh fish now any time of year. Most grocery stores with fresh fish sections seem to carry Alaskan Cod from my experience.
Health Benefits of Fish
Most fish is full of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, as well as other vitamins. Fish is also rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Some people say eating fish regularly can reduce your risk of heart attack. I'm not a medical professional so I'm not advising anything. I'm just stating some information I've read over the years.
More info on health benefits of fish found on Healthline.
Why Cod?
Cod is definitely one of the more popular varieties of white fish. I find that cod is a little more family friendly (for my picky family, anyway), with it's slightly sweet flavor. Plus, it's super versatile. Cod contains a little less omega-3 than some other fish but it also has less mercury, which is good.
I decided to make a baked version of the cod because I know a lot of people are really nervous about flipping fish over in a frying pan. It's really not difficult, but since I try to make things as easy as possible for you, I made this a no-flip, simple baked recipe. You're welcome.
Optional Variations For The Recipe:
- I used sour cream in this recipe, however, plain Greek yogurt is a great substitute
- I served over simple steamed spinach to keep things light but this would also go great over a bed of rice or couscous
- If you are worried about carbohydrates, you can totally leave off the panko crumbs, I just happen to like the texture contrast
How To Prepare The Fish
Mix together all ingredients except the breadcrumbs and butter and slather all over the top of the cod.
Top the sour cream mixture with panko crumbs that have been tossed with butter.
Crunchy Topping For Fish
If you're counting your carbs and want to make this fish a little bit lighter you can omit the crunchy topping. However, I personally think a crispy coating is the best part of a fish dinner.
Bake and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve this easy baked cod is over a bed of steamed or sauteed spinach.
Alternative side dishes include:
- rice
- couscous
- roasted potatoes
- mashed potatoes
- green beans
- sugar snap peas
Recipe originally published in 2016. Photos updated 2/24/21.
If you are nervous cooking fish then this is the recipe for you. Super easy and plenty of flavor. No chance of drying this recipe out.
- 2 lb Alaska Cod Fillets
- ½ C sour cream
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 T freshly chopped parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Optional: 1 T butter melted
- ¼ C seasoned panko crumbs
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Preheat oven to 425.
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In a bowl stir together sour cream, zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
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Spread the mixture over the cod fillets. Place fillets on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
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If panko topping is desired, stir together the panko and butter and press on the tops of fillets.
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Bake 425 for 10-12 minutes.
This looks like such a great dinner! I love cod and it's so quick to prepare!
Mm, this looks delicious! My husband always loves a good seafood recipe like this.
Looks so good! Love lemon with fish!
Oh my goodness, your fish dish looks delicious! I am in the same boat, always looking for fresh fish and this cod looks amazing. I need to check out the Alaska Food website.
PS Totally pinning this great recipe!
This looks so good - I really need to eat more fish!
This sounds delicious! I think even my seafood-picky husband would really enjoy this, and I'm so glad to hear we can get fresh cod year round!
this look delicious, and I don't normally eat fish! I'd love to try this!
Does the fish need to be defrosted prior to baking? I am planning on making as it looks good.
I used fresh fish not frozen. I would defrost prior to cooking. Enjoy!
I made the fish tonight using fresh as you suggested. It was wonderful. This is definitely being added to dinners that get repeated. I did cook about 18 minutes as the fish was thick. Thanks for sharing.
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Linda! I hope you found it as easy to prepare as I did too. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know your results!!!
Looks good! Is it resting on some sort of cooked spinach?
Yes! I mention w/in the post "I served over simple steamed spinach to keep things light but this would also go great over a bed of rice or couscous"
We loved this, see my comments already on this recipe.
I made this tonight. My only change was to cook the sour cream and panko coated fillets very gently at low temp, and then quickly broil to crisp the topping. Outstanding!
Second time I make this, just awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing.
GREAT! glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe - turned out excellent! Optional topping was key. Also served over spinach (sautéed) as suggested - looked beautiful. Found it took 20 minutes to bake the filets as they were thick; I covered during last 5 minutes so topping did not burn.
This recipe was delish! We enjoyed the burst of flavors of the lemon zest, the garlic and sour cream with the cod! Thanks for the recipe!