This 20 Minute Lemon, Garlic, and Herb Baked Cod is fresh, flavorful, and fast! Perfect healthy dinner option for any night of the week.
Lemon Garlic Cod
We cook a lot of fish at our house. It’s not just an occasional thing; it’s a couple of times a week… at least. I especially love cooking cod often because it’s one of those ingredients you can go as basic or as flavor crazy with as you please.
For this recipe I’ve teamed up with Alaska Seafood to bring you a quick, flavorful, and super easy 20 Minute Lemon, Garlic, and Herb Baked Cod. This recipe is so easy to throw together – even on those nights when you really don’t feel like cooking (!!!) – and just bursts with healthy, fresh flavor. We like to pair it with brown rice and salad for a light yet hearty supper. I think couscous or quinoa would also pair wonderfully with this flavorful fish.
Alright so let’s talk about what makes this fish the flavorful powerhouse it is. Our ingredient list includes olive oil, whole wheat panko breadcrumbs, Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, fresh basil, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, and paprika. If you’re a little freaked out by the idea of fish and dairy (the cheese and yogurt) – don’t be! I promise it melts into the fish beautifully and tastes incredible.
Whoops! Forgot one very important ingredient in the list above: THE COD. I used Alaska frozen cod for this recipe which I easily swiped up at our local grocery store. I love fresh fish, but frozen fish can be seriously convenient! I also loved that the cod was already cut into fillets, making my job even easier.
Are you familiar with Alaska Seafood? It’s the best. Alaska produces seafood with a delightfully firm texture and superior flavor that is full of high quality protein, vitamins, minerals and oils essential to good health. With five species of salmon, several varieties of whitefish, and numerous shellfish species, Alaska offers mouthwatering seafood options for every taste and cooking method and is available fresh, frozen and canned year round. Alaska seafood is high in protein, low in saturated fat, low in sodium and one of the best sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. In a nutshell, Alaska Seafood is all of the things you want in a fish company.
I hope you’ll give this easy, flavorful cod recipe a try next time you get a seafood craving; I promise it won’t let you down! xoxo
More Cod Recipes:
20 Minute Lemon, Garlic, and Herb Baked Cod
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
Baked Cod loaded with lemon, garlic, and herbs! This healthy meal is so moist and flavorful. Ready in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs (regular panko or plain breadcrumbs will work in a pinch)
- 1/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 -3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
- 1 large lemon, juice and zest, divided
- 3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt, more if needed (adjust according to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 (8 ounce) Alaskan Cod fillets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a large baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the olive oil and breadcrumbs, toss well to coat them evenly in the oil; set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the Greek yogurt, Parmesan, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon zest, salt. paprika, and pepper. Spoon the yogurt mixture on the tops of each fillet and spread it around with the back of the spoon, then press the panko crumb mixture on top of each fillet.
- Place fillets on prepared baking dish, crust-side up.
- Bake until firm, about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with reserved lemon juice.
Courses Dinner
Cuisine American
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Millie | Add A Little says
April 2, 2015 at 10:17 pmThis looks so quick and so full of flavour! Definitely going in the weekly rotation!
Eileen says
April 3, 2015 at 1:57 amThis cod sounds amazing! Love the intense flavors of the yogurt and herbs with tender white fish. I can’t wait to give it a try.
Amanda says
April 3, 2015 at 3:07 amThis fish looks so delicious, love the yogurt sauce!!!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
April 3, 2015 at 11:44 amWe cook A LOT of fish too..and always Alaskan! I am loving that you used Greek yogurt in this dressing….I am deffffs going to be shoveling this into my face in the near future! Pinned!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
April 3, 2015 at 6:01 pmThis cod looks so flavorful! Such a yummy dinner recipe.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
April 3, 2015 at 8:48 pmRich is always asking for cod from his Boston days!!! Love this version!
cara ann says
July 19, 2015 at 7:10 pmCould some please just make the recipe before commenting. We obviously all have eyes and can SEE it, but how does it TASTE ?
HLH says
October 14, 2015 at 8:22 pmAgreed! We need to know how the dish tastes!
bakerbynature says
October 15, 2015 at 4:48 pmHi HLH. If you read the other comments quite a few folks have reviewed the taste.
Jane says
May 13, 2017 at 2:00 pmThank you!!! I get so tired of people telling how good something looks!!!!
Like you I also can see that something looks good…but how does it taste?!!!!!
That’s what I want to know!!!
Bianca says
August 6, 2015 at 12:15 pmThank you for this recipe. I’m always looking for new cod recipes to try. I was apprehensive of the yogurt But the other ingredients sounded delicious So I went ahead and tried it. The recipe was easy & fast. It was good & will make again. My family clean the pan.
Cara Ann, did you make the recipe?
Nicole says
August 21, 2015 at 2:01 amThis yogurt sauce makes an AH-mazing dip by the way. I had extra and just scooped it up with some sourdough bread.
bakerbynature says
August 22, 2015 at 1:28 pmNow I’m dreaming of dipping bread in the sauce… 😉
Anne thompson says
September 3, 2015 at 1:11 amthis is seriously the best recipe for any white fish. I’ve tried it on halibut and sea bass delicious. I’m watching my fat so used nonfat yogurt and it worked just fine.
bakerbynature says
September 3, 2015 at 2:06 pmHi Anne! I’m so so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 It’s one of my favorites!
April says
September 14, 2015 at 5:22 pmI tried this last night & it was such a hit in my household! Delicious! Thank you! Btw, what is the calorie count?
ALPANA says
September 30, 2015 at 8:23 amTHIS FISH LOOKS SO DELICIOUS. I CAN,T WAIT TO GIVE IT A TRY. THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE
bakerbynature says
October 11, 2015 at 3:41 pmAwesome! Hope you love the recipe as much as we do.
Jennifer says
January 2, 2016 at 9:02 amHi there! I took down this recipe yesterday and accidentally got fat free Greek yogurt rather than full fat. Will it still come out okay?
bakerbynature says
January 3, 2016 at 4:24 pmHi Jennifer. I’ve never tried making this with fat-free Greek yogurt, but I think it should work OK.
Larry says
January 19, 2016 at 12:27 amI made half the recipe since we only had a one pound filet. Still had way too much panko crumbs. I question the quantity in the recipe. It coated the top completely not like the pics here. But in any case, it was delicious.
Stephanie says
January 25, 2016 at 12:59 pmIt looks great and I am going to make it tonight, my cod is thawed out…. Was your time and temp for frozen?
Alicia says
January 26, 2016 at 1:50 pmDo I thaw out the cod or prepare it from frozen?
bakerbynature says
January 26, 2016 at 4:06 pmI did not thaw my fillets, but you may. Just keep an eye on the bake time, as it may decrease for unfrozen fish.
Stephanie says
June 12, 2019 at 8:25 pmI used frozen 4 oz fillets and after 15 minutes @ 400 degrees the middle of the fillet was still frozen. :(. So I am putting them back in for another 10-15 hoping they will cook thru. Anyone else have that issue?
Kelsey says
January 29, 2016 at 3:00 amThis dish looks interesting, but I’m wondering how assertive the Greek yogurt is. I don’t really like Greek yogurt so I don’t know how I would feel about it…melted…over fish. Is there any sub I could use or should I just omit it entirely? Thanks in advance.
bakerbynature says
February 2, 2016 at 3:36 pmHi Kelsey. You could probably use sour cream or even mayo… but if you don’t like the idea of Greek yogurt on your fish, those may sound unappealing as well. I have never tried this recipe without the Greek yogurt, so I’m not sure how it would come out if you omitted it entirely. I don’t find the yogurt flavor assertive.
Robin W. says
January 8, 2018 at 11:42 pmI tried it tonight without the yogurt and it was delicious! Also, I used dried basil, no parsley and bottled lemon juice. Yummy!
Jane says
February 3, 2016 at 11:44 pmMaking this tonight!!! Gonna use lite EVOO mayo since I don’t have yogurt. Can’t wait to try it!! Thanks for sharing!
bakerbynature says
February 4, 2016 at 3:55 pmYou’re very welcome, Jane! How did it turn out with the EVOO mayo?
Jane says
February 4, 2016 at 10:36 pmIt was totally DELISH!! Hubby looooved it !!
Lynn says
February 14, 2016 at 3:39 pmI made this with a few changes using what I had at home. I used sour cream because I only had vanilla Greek yogurt- and I knew that wouldn’t work;) I had lemon pepper bread crumbs and no panko crumbs. And I didn’t have a lemon so I left it out. Still loved it! Very good flavor and will definitely be making it again!
Suzanne Lambert says
February 20, 2016 at 12:14 amThis recipe is outstanding, I did not go outside of the box, followed the recipe to the letter all the flavors just went together so well!! Thanks for sharing
bakerbynature says
February 21, 2016 at 2:26 pmSo happy to hear it, Suzanne!
Suzanne Lambert says
February 20, 2016 at 12:16 amOutstanding all the flavors went together so well!!Thanks for sharing!!
bakerbynature says
February 21, 2016 at 2:25 pmYay! Thank you for letting us know you enjoyed this recipe, Suzanne 🙂
SPe says
April 2, 2016 at 9:20 pmSTOP WITH THE BORING STORIES!! Nobody cares. Just post the gd recipe.
bakerbynature says
April 3, 2016 at 1:35 pmIf you’d prefer to not read the post, just scroll to the bottom of the post and get the recipe. Not hard.
John cuba says
April 15, 2016 at 10:05 pmIf you don’t know much about seafood for fishing, please don’t assume that Alaska seafood is unique. Cod is a highly migratory species, halibut less so, tuna move across the oceans. You can’t make blanket assumptions that all fish from Alaska are high in protein, the level of protein depends on the species. As a commercial fisherman and professional chef, I know what I’m talking about. No need to insert in accurate facts in a good recipe just to score points with the sponsor, makes you look silly.
Swap the yogurt for mayo, glaze with the sauce, then dust with Panko, don’t mix the Panko in. Keep your herbs less pungent, they can easily overwhelmed mild fish. You can also swap shallots for the garlic if you find the garlic overpowering. Fish should be thawed and finished with a quick broil. If frozen, you need to kick down the temperature a little bit and lengthen the cook time.
Shelly Johnson says
April 26, 2016 at 5:49 pmHoly crimeny. She started out by saying she teamed up with the company Alaskan Seafood for this recipe. I’m not a blogger or food prep person of any sort, but I suspect the information she provided could have been straight from their website. For all either of us knows, this wording may be required to even include their company name in her blog. Just out of curiosity, I did check out the company website and much of her information provided is nearly straight from that. As far as her preparation technique, she also states to put the panko on top and not mix in so you actually agree on this point. Please, in the future, do not reprimand someone for sharing a recipe. Everyone has different tastes. One is not better than the other. You, sir, are the one who looks silly, in my opinion.
bakerbynature says
April 28, 2016 at 1:26 amHuge air hugs to you, Shelly 😉 xoxo
Shelly Johnson says
May 6, 2016 at 11:01 pmWe had this for dinner tonight! Very good. 🙂
Susan says
April 9, 2018 at 9:12 pmPersonnally I have appreciated alf the comments….cod tonight without the Greek yogurt…as a prior blogger confirmed, vanilla yogurt will not work. I have mayo and sour cream…humm. Going with the mayo, dried herbs, fresh fish…
Wish me luck and be nice to each other
Courtney says
April 29, 2016 at 2:34 amI made this recipe tonight and it was almost inedible. The lemon zest over powered the dish SO much, I can’t even imagine if I added the lemon juice. This was one of the worst things I have ever made, maybe I missed a step in the recipe but I can’t understand how people have enjoyed this dish.
Katie says
June 24, 2016 at 12:35 amI’m not a fan of Greek yogurt but the sauce was a hit! However, my advice if you are not using this brand of fish is to double check how your brand should be cooked. I made a rookie error and realized my fish was still frozen on the inside. Trying again tomorrow!
bakerbynature says
June 25, 2016 at 7:06 pmSo happy you gave the sauce a try, Katie! I’ll definitely add a tip about the cook time, too. Thanks!
Kristn says
December 4, 2016 at 10:44 pmSo, I’m ridiculous for asking BUT are you talking 8 ounces total (4, 2-ounce portions) or 8 ounces each (total of 2 lbs of fish)?
Brenda says
January 13, 2017 at 4:15 pmI made this last night for supper…oh my goodness! Super Delish!! so full of flavor that I couldn’t put my fork down 🙂
I did improvise, used fresh dill in place of basil, used part olive oil mayo with sour cream in place of greek yogurt, because that’s what I had on hand, and baked mine for about 20 mins. Not that they were that thick, just wasn’t getting up to temp of 145 degrees. My boyfriend was so impressed and absolutely loved it. He even said keep this recipe handy. So glad I came across this recipe! I was so hungry for fish and this one fit the bill!! If you are tired of your fish with just lemon and garlic, take it to a whole other level with this recipe you won’t be disappointed!!
Audrey says
January 16, 2017 at 12:44 amDid anyone actually try this?
I cook often and followed recipe to the tee. It tastes horrendous. Too tart and yogurt and fish dont go well together.
bakerbynature says
January 16, 2017 at 1:43 amHi Audrey. We’re sorry you didn’t enjoy this! Many readers have tried this and positively reviewed the recipe, however we all have different tastes, so it’s not for everyone. I hope you find some recipes here you enjoy more 🙂
Cheyenne llamas says
October 9, 2017 at 9:26 pmThis is absolutely delicious! I could eat this every day.
Christa says
December 11, 2017 at 11:19 pmThis recipe is so good!!! My husband said he could eat it every night and my kids, who say they hate fish, couldn’t get enough! Delicious! Thank you!
Kelli says
December 13, 2017 at 3:58 pmI’m planning to make this and have everything, but the panko or breadcrumbs. Has anyone tried it without them?
Polly says
April 17, 2018 at 1:21 amJust made this and paired it with Jacques Pepin’s Peas & Artichokes for dinner. Absolutely amaryllis! The squeezed lemon wedge at the end – superb! Thank you!
Amanda says
April 27, 2018 at 11:11 pmMade this tonight for dinner my husband and I gobbled it up! The intense lemon herb flavor is amazing! I used a baby halibut bc my local fish market didn’t have cod. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
Ella says
January 4, 2019 at 9:31 pmCan you please post the nutrition info for this recipe?
Janet Stephens says
January 9, 2019 at 1:10 amIf I could add a pic, I would. My fish looked NOTHING like what is posted here. I followed the instructions to a T but still turned out differently. It tasted alright but very dry. For your pics did you add some kind of sauce on top of the fish because according to your instructions you should only be able to see panko crumbs
Margaret says
January 16, 2019 at 12:26 amI made this with the prepackaged cod fillets I found in the freezer sections and they took more than double the amount of time the recipe suggests. Were still frozen solid in the middle after the initial 15 min. HOWEVER once they were finally done- absolutely delicious!!!!!
Brandy says
January 16, 2019 at 12:31 amTried this today. It was delicious. Great recipe
Valerie says
February 24, 2019 at 7:16 pmThis was really tasty! I’m so sick of white fish (it tends to be dull) but eat it to be healthy, and this was a delicious way to prepare it. Anything but bland! And very easy. Thanks for sharing 🙂 I’ll definitely make it again!
Wanda Warren says
April 13, 2019 at 1:47 amGIRL, you knocked this one out of the park!!! I definitely don’t understand the negative comments unless they possibly didn’t pay attention (all of the herbs, lemon and zest and greek yogurt worked wonderfully). I added a side of tumeric brown rice to serve it over and a divine tomato, basil pesto, asparagus side…I’d love to send you a pic, especially the one that shows just how flaky and wonderful the cod was. Keep up the good work and BTW, I bought fresh Alaskan cod from Fresh Market just for this dish. Love your work…