Delicious Baked Cod Recipe (2024)

Modified: Jan 10, 2024 · Published: Aug 26, 2020 · by Ramona

Jump to Recipe

This baked cod recipe with tomato sauce and capers is definitely one of the best ever fish bake recipe for me by far. Always enjoyed by my family and friends especially served with jasmine rice, mashed or crushed potatoes and a nice side salad. Absolute perfection, no kidding!

Cod is definitely the fish to cook if you are afraid to cook seafood at home, it is one of these seafood ingredients that cannot really get messed up unless you really forget about it and will become too chewy or burnt ;-). Other than this cod it's an easy fish to cook unlike salmon or other fish that can easily become overcooked.

Cod is larger fish and a fillet is generally too big for a portion. Buying the cod loin ( the cut from the middle section or fattest part of the fillet) is always the best idea since they are more succulent and are especially good for baking. The cod fillets are normally sold with or without skin, boneless and they are considered to be the prime cut.

What to look for when buying cod loin

It is often more difficult to say how fresh the fish is when buying fillets or loins as opposed to the whole fish. But, generally, you need to look at the flesh which should appear nice and white - a pearl white, it should be beautiful and firm, and smell like fresh fish and nothing else.

Eat as fresh as possible and if you are to freeze it don't keep it longer than 2 weeks as the taste will change and you will no longer enjoy it. Ideally is to buy the fillets or the loin on the day or a day before planning to cook it.

Baked Cod Ingredients:

This baked cod recipe is easy to prepare and the cod is really juicy, tender and packed with delicious flavours. There are not many ingredients that are needed especially to flavour the fish.

Cod loins - skin off;
Salt and Pepper- to season the cod with;
Lemon - to drizzle some over the fish.

The Tomato Sauce:

Marinara Sauce -I like using Marinara sauce but any tomato sauce will work;
Leek -gives some sweetness to the tomato sauce;
Peppers -great flavour and sweetness;
Garlic -gives that amazing flavour we all love;
Capers - give an amazing flavour and go very well with any fish;
Herbs - for delicious flavours - I have used thyme and parsley;
Salt and Pepper - just to season well the sauce too
Coconut Oil - to get the cooking going and add some extra good fats to the dish since cod is a pretty lean fish.

Other similar fish to replace cod with:

Other white fish that has a comparable texture and taste and can be used in recipes that call for cod is:

pollock
haddock
coley

FAQs

How to bake cod?

It is very, very simple. No need for any expertise at all. All you need it's a timer to make sure you have not forgotten about it in the oven. The rest is a super simple task:

1. Season the fish prior to cooking with salt pepper and lemon
2. Add the cod loins to the tomato sauce that was previously cooked in a pan.
3. Throw into the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes depending on the size and the thickness of the loins. You will know it is cooked when it flakes easily and it becomes opaque.

How long to bake cod?

Cod can cook in a preheated oven in as little as 10-15 minutes, depending on the chunk size but it generally is fairly quick.

How to bake cod loin?

In general, these bake pretty fast in a preheated oven and it is a meaty fish so a sauce as a base will always be great.

Can I freeze baked cod?

Yes, this baked cod recipe can be frozen and reheated in the oven for approximately 25 minutes before serving.

CAN I make the tomato sauce ahead?

Absolutely, you may cook this tomato sauce ahead and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. The fish cooks in just 15 minutes or so, just add the fish to the sauce, place in a pre-heated oven whenever you want this to be served. It is best practice to have the fish freshly cooked.

How to serve baked cod?

There are many ways you may have this dish served, we love it with nice homemade bread, with rice, with potatoes, chips, mashed or crushed. All delicious ways to have this dish and of course a side salad will be a fab addition indeed. Delicious!

Other fish recipes you may like:

Creamy fish chowder
Fish soup
Open fish pie
Sardines with polenta and garlic sauce ( definitely my favourite)

Let's just get some delicious supper ready!