Crispy Oven Baked Cod Recipe
This oven baked cod with panko has the most delicious crunchy crust made of panko bread crumbs, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese, garlic, and lemon zest – it’s the perfect combination. Loaded with crunchy textures, buttery flavors, and tender, flaky fish this crispy baked cod is also incredibly easy and only takes about 20 minutes, making it a easy and healthy weeknight meal. Pair it with a salad or some veggies, and you’ve got a dinner that’s delicious and nutritious.
It may be my Wisconsin fish fry background, but I happen to think that the best way to eat a fish like cod (and a lot of seafood) is with some sort of crunchy topping! The pine nut topping for this crispy cod recipe is the same as my scallop linguine and I love it so much that I wanted to come up with other ways to use it. And it’s perfect here. 🙂 The variety of textures is amazing – if you love a little crunch with your flaky fish, be sure to try my panko salmon or furikake salmon next time.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What You’ll Love About Crispy Baked Cod
- Super easy recipe
- Family friendly flavors
- Delicious, mild flavors
- Crunchy coating on tender fish
- Great way to eat more seafood
- Made with a handful of ingredients
- Just 10 minutes prep time, perfect for busy weeknights
- Just 22 minutes total time
Ingredients
- Pine nuts – I love the mild flavor of pine nuts in this crispy baked cod, but you could also use cashews, almonds, or pistachios.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best flavor. I would not recommend using garlic cubes or garlic paste as it will make the bread crumb mixture mushy.
- Panko breadcrumbs – This helps give the baked Parmesan cod recipe a really crunchy texture. Panko breadcrumbs have more surface area than traditional bread crumbs so they help give a truly crunchy texture, without needing to deep fry.
- Parmesan cheese – You can’t make baked cod with Parmesan crust without the Parmesan. I recommend using grated Parmesan (the finer, ground cheese), but you could use roughly chopped shredded if that’s what you have.
- Lemon – Because we’re using the lemon zest, you’ll need to use a fresh lemon.
- Cod fillets – Use fresh cod (or frozen fish that has been thawed). If you have access to a local fish market that is a great option or buy the best you can. You can also use any other flaky white fish like tilapia, sea bass, flounder, grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, or catfish.
- Butter – This helps give rich flavor to the light fish. You could use olive oil if you prefer.
How to Make Baked Cod
This is an overview on how to make baked cod with panko, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
FAQs
What temperature should cod be cooked to?
Baked cod recipes should be cooked until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and has a flaky texture. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the oven-baked cod is cooked perfectly.
Do you flip cod while baking?
It depends on the recipe, but for this particular cod baked with panko, we do not want to flip the fish while baking as the crunchy coating will fall off.
How long does cod take in the oven?
The exact cooking time will vary a bit based on the cod loin size and thickness of the fish, but this easy baked cod recipe takes about 10-15 minutes.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cod baked with panko in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat cod in a 350 degree F oven or air fryer, just until heated through. Microwaving is not recommended as it will make the breading mushy and fish rubbery.
Can you freeze panko crusted cod?
Freezing is not recommended.
How to prep ahead:
- Make panko parmesan topping and store in the refrigerator up to a day ahead
What to Serve with Crispy Baked Cod
This flaky cod recipe needs one or two side dishes to turn it into a full meal:
- Haricot Verts
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Frozen Broccoli
- Honey Butter Roasted Carrots
- Rice, cauliflower rice, grilled bread, or pasta
How to Feed Baked Cod to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I would recommend serving a small piece of the panko breaded cod fish in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.
More Easy Seafood Recipes
If you like this delicious fish recipe, you might also like some of these other easy seafood recipes:
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Crispy Oven Baked Cod Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
Description
You’ll love this crispy Parmesan baked cod with panko! Its crunchy topping is loaded with flavor and the perfect contrast to flaky, tender fish.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (high quality)
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 4 cod fillets
- 2 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- In a small food processor, pulse together garlic and pine nuts until chopped into small pieces. Add panko bread crumbs and pulse until combined. Stir in lemon zest and parmesan cheese.
- Place fish onto foil. Top with pat of butter, sprinkle with garlic salt, and divide panko mixture over the top.
- Bake fish in middle rack for 10 minutes, then turn broiler on high and broil for 1-2 minutes, until bread crumbs are golden brown and fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley if desired.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Topping is delicious! Going to try it on some other fish too.
So glad you enjoyed! Let us know what other fish you put it on.