Baked Cod Lemon Butter Sauce (Print View)

Flaky cod fillets topped with a rich lemon-butter sauce for a simple weeknight dinner.

# Ingredient List:

→ Fish

01 - 4 cod fillets (about 5-6 oz each), skinless and boneless
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt, to taste
04 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Lemon Butter Sauce

05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
07 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
10 - 1 teaspoon capers (optional)

→ Garnish

11 - Lemon slices, for serving
12 - Extra chopped parsley

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels. Place them in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
03 - In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and capers if using. Remove from heat and mix in the chopped parsley.
04 - Pour half of the lemon-butter sauce over the cod fillets, reserving the rest for serving.
05 - Bake the cod for 15–18 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork and is opaque in the center.
06 - Remove from the oven. Spoon the remaining lemon-butter sauce over the fillets.
07 - Garnish with lemon slices and extra parsley. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The fish cooks so gently that even if you're nervous about seafood, this feels forgiving and turns out tender every time.
  • A warm lemon-butter sauce transforms plain white fish into something that tastes far more complicated than the ten minutes it actually takes to make.
  • It's the kind of dish that works for a quiet Tuesday night or impresses people at your table without you having to stress about it.
02 -
  • Don't let the garlic brown in the butter or it turns bitter and ruins the whole sauce—keep the heat medium and watch it closely for those few seconds it takes to become fragrant.
  • Baking times vary wildly depending on how thick your fillets actually are, so start checking at the fifteen-minute mark and don't just trust the clock; the fish will tell you when it's done.
03 -
  • Let your fish sit at room temperature for ten minutes before baking so it cooks through evenly instead of staying cold in the middle while the edges firm up.
  • Make the sauce first and keep it warm while the fish bakes, then spoon it over just before serving so every bite gets that buttery, lemony warmth.

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