Lemon Butter Cod Recipe (2024)

Lemon Butter Cod Recipe (1)

In This Article

  • Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
  • Easy Cod Recipe
  • Why choose Cod? And Is Cod Healthy?
  • How to cook Cod Using Pan-Fry Method
  • Ingredients for Lemon Butter Mixture
  • What to Serve with Cod
  • Pan Fried Cod RecipeCommonly Asked Questions
  • Try Our Popular Swordfish Recipe, Too:
  • Did you make this?
  • Lemon Butter Cod Recipe Recipe

Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe

Easy Cod Recipe

Atlantic cod is a popular white fish to cook, as it’s mild in flavor, flaky and tender in texture, and easily accessible.

Though Atlantic cod is commonly battered and deep fried for fish and chips, it’s actually an extremely versatile fish that can be baked, steamed, broiled, or pan fried. We’ve done it all, and the results are always tender-delicious, whichever method we’ve chosen. That said, my personal favorite way to enjoy a fresh, thick fillet of cod is simple pan frying. Thus, this lemon butter cod recipe was born.

Why choose Cod? And Is Cod Healthy?

This pan fried cod recipe would be fantastic with any thick white fish fillet: halibut, mahi mahi, or snapper would all work well. We often opt for Atlantic cod, as it’s easily accessible throughout the year. Thick, high quality, flash frozen cod also works beautifully here.

A happy, heathy benefit of cod is its stellar nutrition profile. Cod has earned some bragging rights: not only is it lean and low in calories, but it’s high in protein and packed with essential vitamins and minerals (Hello, B-12 and Selenium.)

Bonus: cod is generally much lower in mercury than many other popular fish, making it a cleaner choice.

Lemon Butter Cod Recipe (2)

How to cook Cod Using Pan-Fry Method

I’m into easy pan frying partially because I’m lazy. But more importantly, pan frying yields that deliciously browned exterior on both sides of the fish. Baking or steaming won’t accomplish that same golden “crust.”

Pro Tips for pan frying cod:

  • Let fish sit at room temp in a colander to drain any excess water, particularly if your fish was previously frozen. Do this while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients; this allows time for the fish to get closer to room temperature.
  • Always thoroughly pat dry fish fillets to further remove as much moisture as you can. Yes, your roll of paper towels will dwindle a bit, but this step is essential to ensuring the fish cooks correctly.
  • Use enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan; get that oil super hot prior to adding fish fillets.
  • Cook 2 fillets at a time (unless your pan is giant and can cook 4 fillets without crowding) and cook with lid ajar to allow steam to escape. Otherwise, the cod will be steamed rather than browned.
  • Use a thin but wide metal spatula to gently flip the fish to brown the other side. No small or flimsy tools – it’s a sad minute when a nice fish fillet breaks apart.

Ingredients for Lemon Butter Mixture

  • We’ll start with the obvious: lemon and butter. Plenty of fresh lemon zest, juice, and slices of bright yellow lemons are on call. This recipe uses salted butter, but feel free to adjust and use unsalted butter if needed.
  • We use shallots, as they offer a milder flavor than onions. If you’d like, feel free to substitute with 1 tablespoon freshly minced onion.
  • Garlic. Oh, how we love all the garlic. The end.
Lemon Butter Cod Recipe (3)

What to Serve with Cod

We adore rice pilaf as a healthy sidekick to fish recipes. If you love mushrooms, here’s our rice pilaf with mushrooms that’ll have you patting yourself on the back

If you’re a spud fan, here are our top 15 best potato recipes to choose from.

For your vegetables, may we suggest a helping of nutritious air fryer broccoli that cooks in mere minutes? Or perhaps a healthy lemon spinach orzo salad is calling your name. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Pan Fried Cod Recipe
Commonly Asked Questions

What’s the best cooking method for cod?

Cod is popular for battered, deep fried fish. However, cod is perfect for baking and pan frying. Our pan fry method below is both healthier and wonderfully flavorful.

What does cod fish pair well with?

Though it’s common to serve fried cod with cole slaw or french fries, we love serving this lemon-butter cod recipe with rice pilaf and caesar salad.

How long should you pan fry cod for?

There are actually several variables, including the thickness of your cod fillets. For 1-inch thick cod fillets, we recommend cooking on hight for 3-4 minutes per side.

How do I know when cod is done cooking?

The best way to test the doneness of cod is to gently twist open the center of cod fillet with a fork – if it is no longer translucent and flakes easily, it is done. It’s worth repeating that a 1-inch thick cod fillet cooks within 3-4 minutes per side; if your cod fillets are thinner, they will cook faster. The key is not to overcook.

Try Our Popular Swordfish Recipe, Too:

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Lemon Butter Cod Recipe (4)

Lemon Butter Cod Recipe

5 from 139 ratings

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Cod is a healthy, lean fish that can be easily added to your dinner rotation. This tender, flavorful cod recipe is quick enough for busy weeknights. It’s sure to become a favorite.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients

For the Lemon Butter Mixture:

For the Fish:

  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 4 cod fillets, 1-inch thickness, 4 oz each
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • additional lemon slices for serving

Instructions

  • Place cod in colander and let sit to drain and get closer to room temperature, while you prepare rest of ingredients.

  • In a small pan, combine all Lemon Butter Mixture ingredients and stir to fully combine. Set aside.

  • Use paper towels to pat-dry all excess moisture from the fish fillets. This step is important, so be sure to pat off as much moisture as you can (extra moisture from fish will dilute flavors and steam the fish rather than brown it.)

  • Evenly sprinkle both sides of fillets with pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Once oil is sizzling hot, add fish fillets to pan (you may want to do 2 at a time to avoid crowding) and cover with lid ajar, allowing steam to escape. Cook until browned on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Do not move fish around.

  • Use a thin but wide metal spatula to gently flip fish fillets over to the other side for another 3-4 minutes just until nicely browned and center is just-cooked. The key to tender fish is to avoid overcooking.If your fillets are less than 1-inch thick, shorten cook time.

  • While your last fish fillets are cooking, heat up small pan of prepared lemon-garlic mixture over medium-high, stirring just until bubbly. Immediately turn heat off and keep warm.

  • Once fish is done, plate fillets and spoon lemon butter mixture over the fish, including any leftover juices from your frying pan. Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy.

Notes

Be sure to use coarse kosher salt, not fine table salt. Kosher salt is much milder and less salty per volume.

The actual cook time varies, depending on thickness, starting temp of fish, and type of pan used. I typically cook about 3-4 minutes per side. I check for doneness by lightly pressing fillet centers for firmness. Once it feels somewhat firm, it’s usually done.

Serve with Perfect Instant Pot Brown RiceorBest Easy Roasted Vegetables Recipefor a healthy meal that happens to be gluten-free.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give a rating ♡

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Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 161g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 410mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 3746mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 656IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Diet: Low Calorie

Method: pan fry, Stovetop

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FAQs

What is the best cooking technique for cod? ›

Try a gentle cooking method: Instead of adding fat, you can also try a gentle cooking method like steaming or cooking en papillote. Both of these methods help to preserve Pacific cod's high moisture content and produce incredibly tender results.

Is cod better in the oven or pan? ›

Pan-frying is a great option for cod fillet or loin as there is time to produce a lovely crispy skin without overcooking the delicate, flaky flesh. This is the way cod and similar white fish are often cooked in restaurant kitchens and is very simple to do at home.

Do you have to soak cod fish before cooking? ›

Soaking is the most important step in preparing salt cod. Most recipes say to soak for 24 hours. However, this is risky and may leave the fish too salty. About 48 hours is a better bet.

How do you cook cod without it being rubbery? ›

The secret to cooking perfectly moist and flaky fish is to avoid overcooking it. The use of fat and lemon juice in this Whole30 cod recipe locks in the natural moisture of the fish and helps it cook in a quick manner. As a result, you should never have dry, rubbery fish again.

Should you soak cod in milk before cooking? ›

Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes

In this scenario, the protein in the milk binds with the compounds that cause that fishy odor, in essence extracting if from the fish. What's left behind is sweet-smelling, brighter flesh with clean flavor. (Just make sure you pour that milk down the drain.

How do you bake cod without it falling apart? ›

Additionally, make sure the heat isn't too high and you use enough fat (e.g. olive oil, butter)/liquid (e.g. white wine, lemon juice) to keep it from sticking to the pan. If cod separates in pieces, it is overcooked. The flesh should still be slightly tender and in one piece.

Should you cover cod when baking? ›

Bake uncovered until the fish is fully cooked, opaque, and flakes easily with a fork. Depending on the thickness of your cod fillets and your oven, this should take about 15 minutes (25 minutes if using frozen fish).

What makes cod taste good? ›

Cod is a beautifully mild and buttery-flavored fish and this preparation couldn't be easier or more stunning. Coat it in paprika and a few other spices, then pan fry it until tender and juicy. It takes under 10 minutes to get restaurant-quality flavor!

Why do you soak cod in milk? ›

It's trimethylamine that causes the distinct fishy aroma. Milk counteracts this odor because milk contains casein, which bonds with the trimethylamine and effectively draws the stinky smell out of the fish.

Why do you salt cod before cooking? ›

Salting fish, like sea bass fillets, before cooking helps to firm up the flesh and improves the texture. If you've travelled much in Spain or Portugal you will no doubt of seen salt cod, or bacalao on the menu – this is where the fish is covered in salt for days to remove all the moisture.

Why did my cod turn out rubbery? ›

Overcooked fish loses its natural moisture, which can result in a dry and chewy texture. The proteins in the fish also begin to tighten, which can make the fish tough and rubbery. In addition, overcooked fish can have a severe lack of flavor, as the heat causes the natural oils in the fish to evaporate.

Why does my cod fall apart when frying? ›

As fish cooks, proteins in the muscle fibers coagulate and the flesh changes from translucent to opaque in appearance. When the collagen softens in heat, it loses its structure and turns to gelatin; the muscle fibers have little to hold them together and the fish separates easily into flakes.

Why is my baked cod mushy? ›

It's easy to accidentally overcook seafood, especially small shellfish—like shrimp and mussels—and thin fish fillets. The texture can also turn out mushy if it is too saturated with water. Fortunately, you can start making restaurant-quality seafood at home with these seafood cooking tips.

What is the cod fish technique? ›

COD-FISH is a strand-specific modification of standard FISH technology which allows the hybridization of single-stranded probes to one, and only one, chromatid of a metaphase chromosome.

What is the most popular method of cooking fish? ›

Frying. Frying is probably the most popular method of cooking fish. Shallow frying: The fish should be seasoned and lightly coated with flour or crumb before frying to protect it and seal in the flavour. Use a mixture of oil and butter when frying and turn the fish only once during cooking, to avoid breaking up.

What is the best cooking method for fish and why? ›

Make sure to cook your fish in a way that doesn't overwhelm the flavor. The level of fat in the meat. Leaner types of seafood dry out more easily, which makes them better suited for wet cooking methods like steaming and poaching. Fatty fish like tuna and salmon, on the other hand, are ideal for grilling and roasting.

Why do you cook cod in milk? ›

When poaching fish in whole milk, the fat keeps the fish incredibly moist while infusing it with a delicate sweetness. Choose a pan that allows the fish to fit snugly in a single layer. Creamy baby potatoes and tender leeks and fennel add flavor and texture to this luscious, simple meal.

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