1 ½poundscod loin filletpatted dry and lightly seasoned with salt/pepper
2tablespoonsolive oil
4tablespoonslemon juicefrom 1-2 lemons
4clovesgarlicminced; or less to taste
salt & pepperto taste
¼cupbutterdiced
1small lemonsliced
chopped parsleyoptional to serve
Instructions
Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a rectangular baking dish that will comfortably hold all your cod pieces and place the fish inside.
Make sauce: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble: Pour the lemon sauce over the cod in the baking dish. Evenly sprinkle with the diced butter. Place lemon slices on cod pieces.
Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve, if you like.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Cod loin fillets: Cod loin is thicker and stays juicier compared to regular cod fillet pieces. I highly recommend using loin for best results, although you can definitely use the more budget-friendly fillets. Reduce the oven time to 10-15 minutes, depending on the exact thickness of your fish pieces.
Garlic: Feel free to use ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder in place of the freshly minced garlic.
Lemon juice: I use fresh lemon juice for this recipe, but bottled is fine in a pinch. If you’re not a fan of the slight bitterness in cooked lemon, leave out the sliced lemon (the bitterness comes from the pith, so juice only is perfectly fine to use without yielding this hint of bitterness).
Parsley: The parsley is absolutely optional and I often don’t have any on hand. It’s not crucial to the success of this recipe, but it adds a nice pop of flavor.
How do you know when cod is cooked? What temperature should you cook cod at?
You can tell your cod is cooked when it becomes opaque and flakes easily. The internal temperature for cod should reach 145°F at the thickest part to be safe (source).