Delicious Baked Cod Recipe

This baked cod recipe with tomato sauce and capers has to be one of the best ever baked cod recipes 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

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. Here’s how:

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.

FAQs

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!

Delicious Baked Cod Recipe

This stunning and full of flavour baked cod recipe makes the perfect family dish, so easy to make and requires no chef expertise whatsoever. Perfect served with rice or mashed potatoes.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Ramona’s Cuisine

Keyword: baked cod in tomato sauce, baked cod recipe, how to cook cod?

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Ramona Sebastian

Equipment

• ovenproof dish
• spatula
• chopping board
• knife

Ingredients

• 4 fillets or loins cod approx 4 ounces (120g each)
• ¼ lemon juice to season the fish
• 400 ml tomato sauce I used Marinara sauce
• ½ medium leek finely chopped
• 3 large bell peppers (mixed colours) sliced
• 3 tbsp capers I used marinated ones
• 3 cloves garlic freshly grated or finely chopped
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or brown sugar (optional)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
• ⅔ teaspoon salt Himalayan or kosher
• 1 tablespoon thyme freshly chopped or dried
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley or any herb you may like
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Metric – US Imperial

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 200°C.
• Season well the fish fillets with salt, pepper and a drizzle of lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a skillet, add some coconut or olive oil, place on medium fire. Add the chopped leek, the garlic with a pinch o salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 min.
• Add the shredded peppers and cook (covered) for 3-4 min until slightly softened.
• Add the tomato sauce and the fresh herbs (leave a little to sprinkle at the end) the capers.
• Nestle the cod fillets into the tomato sauce and transfer the dish to the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 mins uncovered.
• When ready, take the skillet out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining herbs on top and season with black pepper and some chilli flakes if you fancy ;-).
• Serve with rice, potatoes (wedges or mashed) or with salad leaves on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

Buying the cod loin with the skin on will help even more holding together, ideal for pan-frying or confiting. 

How else to cook cod loin?

Cod is such a versatile fish and the loins are best for roasting, to make it battered, to pan-fry, can be poached, grilled, steamed or even confited. The density of the flesh makes it a great choice for stews too since it is holding its shape very well.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1092mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4972IU | Vitamin C: 184mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg

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