Crusting cod with a lemony herb Parmesan and breadcrumb mixture, then baking it yields a delicious and healthy meal that is inexpensive and very easy to make any day of the week! Cod is a great fish for so many applications. It can be poached, fried, baked, and grilled with ease. It is a mild flavored, firm white fleshed fish that we also recommend for this recipe because it is almost always reasonably priced. We absolutely love this Crispy Parmesan Crusted Baked Cod dish and we know you will too!
Looking for more fish recipes? Try out our Dover Sole with Lemon Risotto or Sea Bass with Seasonal Citrus Salsa.
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Extremely tasty on its own.
- It’s so simple to put together.
- Inexpensive but tastes elevated.
- Has the perfect flaky texture. Cod has a generous window of cooking perfection. It’s pretty difficult to overcook this dish to the point of it not tasting good!
- Great with a variety of sides and sauces.
Ingredients
This Parmesan cod recipe requires just a few simple ingredients. Here is what you need to make this Crispy Parmesan Crusted Baked Cod:
- Cod Filets: Fresh cod fish is best but frozen cod is quite good as well. Make sure you defrost the fillets if using frozen cod before baking.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the one to use here
- Parmesan: Use the authentic Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy and grate it yourself for best results
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko has the best crunch and that’s what it’s here for - that crunchy texture.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley lends a perfect flavor to complement the fish, Parmesan, and lemon
- Basil: Fresh basil is delicious and it isn’t just for pasta and sauces!
- Lemon Zest: Lemon and fish are natural companions, and using the zest in the crust is the best way to get a little lemon accent into this dish without it being overpowering.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a few common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Cod: We love a nice flaky fish like cod for this recipe. Any firm, mild white fish will work here though. Haddock is the best substitute, but halibut or sea bass are great as well, but usually more expensive. Grouper and striped bass are also good alternatives.
- Lemon: While lemon zest works amazingly well, you could certainly substitute grapefruit or lime zest here instead.
- Parmesan: Pecorino, asiago or grana Padano are good substitutes here all with different flavor profiles.
- Panko: You can use gluten free panko bread crumbs if you need to make this a gluten free recipe. Additionally, you can use Italian bread crumbs, but we feel that crunchy panko makes the crust crispier with a better crunch.
How to Make Parmesan Crusted Cod
This is extraordinarily simple to bring together and make so it is definitely a good pick for busy weeknights!
Equipment
Here is what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Sheet tray, roasting pan or baking dish to roast the fish
- Bowl to mix the crust ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Fish
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Thoroughly dry cod fillets with paper towels. Place them on a rack over a sheet pan and let dry further in the refrigerator while you prepare the crust. The fish can be in the refrigerator for several hours if needed or for as long as it takes to put together the crust.
Step 2: Make the Crust
- Combine the grated Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley and basil, and lemon zest in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Crust the Fish
- Add the salt and pepper to both sides of the fish fillets. Gently coat the entire fish with olive oil. Take the most rounded side of the fish and press it gently into the panko Parmesan mixture. Place the crusted fish fillets on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, crust side up, then drizzle some additional olive oil over the crusted fish. Take some more crust mixture and pile it on top of the fillets, gently pressing to double coat the fish. If some crust “crumbs” get all over the sheet pan, push the crumbs up against the sides of each piece of fish.
Step 4: Bake the Fish
- Put the fish into the preheated oven and cook for 18 minutes or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 140°F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and let the fish rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve alone, with the (optional) Lemon Beurre Blanc sauce, and with your favorite side dishes!
Variations
Here are a couple ways to change up this panko Parmesan baked cod recipe:
- Add a sauce! If you want to add a sauce like we have pictured, you can add a beurre blanc as a sauce to make this extra rich and delicious. Check out our lemon beurre blanc recipe for the perfect white wine butter sauce as a great option for this dish. We highly recommend this pairing. Another option is to add a cream sauce such as our Champagne Cream Sauce or Lemon Caper Cream Sauce to this dish.
- Brown the crust more. This recipe results in a nice golden brown crust on the fish. If you like the crust extra dark, you can cook the fish for the last minute or so on the upper rack on broil
- Finer crumbs. If you like smaller breadcrumbs (Panko breadcrumbs are quite large) you can pulse the panko in a food processor for a short period of time to desired texture is reached.
- Elevated or Fancy. Elevate this recipe for date night by making it with halibut or Chilean sea bass!
Storage
How to store leftover baked cod:
- While we don’t recommend having leftovers (we are just not a fan of leftover seafood in general), you can store the leftover bake cod in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat leftover baked cod?
- Reheat the leftover cod slowly in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
Can you freeze baked cod?
- We don’t recommend freezing the finished product. This dish is really easy to make fresh so there really isn't a need to freeze leftovers.
Top tip
The cook time of 18 minutes is a perfect amount of time for the fish fillets we use, which are about 1” thick. If you have thicker or thinner filets, adjust the cooking time accordingly, but don't worry to much as cod is very forgiving when roasting it in the oven.
Troubleshooting
This recipe is straightforward and easy, so there isn't too much that can go wrong!
If you have an oven that heats unevenly or inconsistently, there is a chance that the crust is under or over browning and not in sync with the fish cooking perfectly.
- Crust doesn't brown? If you have an under-browning crust, move it to the top rack on broil for a minute at the end of the cooking process and that should help.
- Crust too brown? If your crust gets brown before the fish is done, turn the heat down, and loosely cover the fish with aluminum foil. This will slow the browning down somewhat and allow the fish to finish cooking.
What to Make with Parmesan Crusted Cod
This parmesan baked cod dish is so versatile and can be served with a variety of side dishes! Here are a few options that we like.
- Vegetable Sides: We like to serve this with sautéed spinach with garlic confit (as pictured), but just about any vegetable will work well. Broccoli, asparagus, and green beans are all great, to name a few.
- Grains: You could make it more substantial with a grain such as rice, farro, barley, or even a lemon risotto!
- Potatoes: Roasted or even mashed potatoes are also good options to give more weight to the dish if desired.
- Pasta: You can also serve this with a side of pasta as well! It goes really well with our Spring Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino with Blistered Tomatoes or Spaghetti Carbonara with Asparagus.
What Wines Pair with Parmesan Crusted Cod
Almost any white wine will work well with this dish, but we especially enjoy a dry riesling, a sauvignon blanc, or a pinot Grigio. If you want something less dry, go for a gewürztraminer. Rosé wines from just about any region are also good choices. If you absolutely wanted a red wine, we would probably go for a lighter red wine like beaujolais or other light bodied red wine such as a lighter pinot noir.
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FAQ
Cod shouldn’t be rubbery, but flaky and somewhat buttery. Cooking cod for too long at high temperatures will produce a rubbery texture that is undesirable. Since getting a nice crust here requires higher temperatures, either temp the fish with a thermometer or start checking it at the 15-18 minute mark for flakiness. Cod that is about 1-1.5 inch thick is done after 18 minutes at 425°F, so that’s a good indication of time that can be adjusted based on the size of your fish fillets.
Cod is good both ways! This is a matter of preference and cooking technique. For this crusted cod, the oven is the best way and requires very little active cooking time so you can prepare the side dishes or sauce while you bake the cod.
This isn’t a necessity, but it does work on seafood that has a pronounced odor of fishiness. The best way to avoid this is smelling the fish before you buy it! However, this isn’t always practical and certainly if you’re buying frozen cod it is not an option. If your fish smells “fishy” (not rotten fishy but just a little more than it should) you can soak it in milk in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Just pat the milk off after it soaks and start the recipe from there.
This is not necessary for this recipe because you are baking the fish in the oven. However, allowing your fish to come to room temp is important when cooking the fish in a hot pan on the stove. If the fish is frozen, however, always thaw it before cooking using any method.
Related
Looking for other seafood recipes like this? Try these:
- Oven Roasted Cod with Calabrian Chili Butter Sauce
- Easy Roasted Black Cod (Butterfish) with Miso Butter Sauce
- Garlic Butter Herb Sous Vide Lobster with Lemon Beurre Blanc
- Creamy Cajun Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Shrimp
Pairing
These are our favorite sides to serve with baked cod recipe:
📖 Recipe
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Baked Cod Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Sheet pan (parchment paper lined)
- 1 medium bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cod fillets - 6-8 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Lemon Beurre Blanc sauce recipe optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Thoroughly dry your fish fillets with paper towels. Place them on a rack over a sheet tray and let dry further in the refrigerator while you prepare the crust. The fish can be in the refrigerator for several hours like this if needed or for as long as it takes to put together the crust.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, basil and lemon zest until mixed thoroughly.
- Add the salt and pepper to both sides of the fish filets. Gently coat the fish with olive oil. Take the most rounded side of the fish and press it gently into the crust mixture. Put the fish fillets on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, crust side up, then drizzle some additional olive oil over the crusted fish. Take some more crust mixture and put it on top of the filets, gently pressing to double coat the fish. If some crust “crumbs” get all over the sheet pan, push the crumbs up against each piece of fish.
- Put the fish into the oven and cook for 18 minutes or until it reads 140°F internal temperature on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and let the fish rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve alone, with a Lemon Beurre Blanc, or with your favorite side dishes!
Nutrition
Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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