Baked Cod with Lemon Butter (Printable)

Tender baked cod fillets topped with a bright, zesty lemon butter sauce for a simple and elegant dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fish Preparation

01 - 4 cod fillets (5 oz each), skinless and boneless
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Lemon Butter Sauce

04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
06 - Zest of 1 lemon
07 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
09 - 1 teaspoon capers, drained

→ Garnish

10 - Fresh lemon slices
11 - Extra chopped fresh parsley

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
02 - Pat cod fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
03 - Place cod fillets in the prepared baking dish, ensuring space between each piece for even cooking.
04 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork.
05 - While fish bakes, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
06 - Stir lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers into the butter mixture. Remove from heat and mix in fresh parsley.
07 - Transfer cooked cod to serving plates. Spoon warm lemon butter sauce generously over each fillet and garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The whole thing comes together in half an hour, leaving you calm instead of frazzled before company arrives.
  • Baked cod stays impossibly tender because the oven's gentle heat never dries it out like a hot pan might.
  • That lemon butter sauce tastes restaurant-quality but asks for nothing more than melting, stirring, and tasting as you go.
02 -
  • Don't skip the drying step with paper towels—wet fish steams instead of bakes, and that's the difference between tender and mushy.
  • The sauce comes off the heat before you add the parsley because heat turns fresh herbs dark and bitter, and this dish needs all the brightness it can get.
03 -
  • If your fish fillets are thicker than normal, add a few minutes to the baking time and check with a fork—better to test early than discover it's underdone.
  • Make the sauce ahead of time if you need to and gently reheat it while the fish bakes; it won't lose its brightness if you're careful with the heat.

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