An easy cod recipe, featuring baked cod with lemon and garlic. If you are on the hunt for an easy fish recipe, this is the one for you. It requires less than 10 minutes prep time, takes only a small amount of time to cook and feeds a family of four, no problem. Oh, and did I mention it's loaded with flavor?
So much flavor. If you are a lover of lemon, you're in for a real treat here. The recipe begins with a quick and easy aioli using store-bought mayonnaise. Don't let that scary French word run you off. It's just a fancy word for a souped-up flavored mayonnaise. Why use mayonnaise in a fish recipe?
Allow me to explain: The mayonnaise takes the place of the oil, enabling our fillet to develop its beautiful golden color. But, that's not the only thing it does. It also serves as a protective barrier between the delicate surface of the fish and the heat of the oven, better enabling the fillet to retain moisture and essentially preventing it from drying out.
Now, back to the whole flavor thing. Rather than just using lemon juice, the cod fillet is sprinkled with lemon zest, making it bright and well...hate to state the obvious, but kind of zesty too. If you don't own a citrus zester, you can still make this recipe. Just use the fine-grate side of your box grater. Next up, adding a massive amount of flavor to our lemony baked cod is a little touch of minced garlic. For an extra pretty touch and a note of freshness, a sprinkle of parsley is added after the cod comes out of the oven.
This is a simple fish recipe, featuring only a few ingredients that go a long, long way in the flavor department. Enjoy!
Easy Lemon Baked Cod | Seafood Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ pound cod fillet
- 2 teaspoons minced Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Run your fingers along the fillet, checking for any missed pin bones. If found, remove using a pair of kitchen tweezers. Pat the fillet dry using a paper towel, and transfer to the baking sheet.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Rub the mayonnaise mixture all of the fillet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily using a fork . Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillet -- for a thicker fillet, bake longer, and for a thinner fillet, bake for less time. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley to garnish and serve.
- Serves 4-6.
Nutrition
Deb says
Tried your recipe this evening and it was delicious! Thank you
Kamie Moore says
Thank you, Deb!!