Baked Cod with Lemon Herb Butter (Printable)
Tender cod fillets topped with zesty lemon herb butter. Elegant, easy weeknight dinner ready in just 25 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 cod fillets (6 oz each), skinless and boneless
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ Lemon Herb Butter
04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
08 - 1 garlic clove, minced
09 - Zest of 1 lemon
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a baking dish.
02 - Pat cod fillets dry with paper towels. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
03 - In a small bowl, combine softened butter, parsley, dill, chives, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix until well blended.
04 - Spread approximately half of the lemon herb butter evenly over the tops of the cod fillets. Reserve remaining butter for serving.
05 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
06 - Remove from oven and transfer fillets to serving plates. Top each fillet with a portion of reserved lemon herb butter. Serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The lemon herb butter melts into the most incredible sauce that youll want to drizzle over everything on your plate.
- Its deceptively impressive looking but requires almost no culinary skill, perfect for those nights you want to feel accomplished without much effort.
02 -
- Fish continues cooking for a minute or two after removal from the oven, so its better to slightly undercook than overcook.
- Room temperature butter incorporates herbs much better than cold butter, so set it out at least 30 minutes before you begin cooking.
03 -
- Make extra herb butter and freeze it in an ice cube tray, then pop out a cube whenever you need an instant flavor boost for vegetables, chicken, or pasta.
- If your cod fillets are of uneven thickness, fold the thinner ends under to create pieces of similar height so everything cooks at the same rate.