Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Herb Panko is one of my go to dinners on busy evenings. Top mild tasting cod with a buttery and crunchy panko topping for a quick and delicious dinner. The whole family will love this recipe!
Panko crusted cod recipe
When I need a quick dinner on a busy night, seafood is my go-to ingredient. It can be prepared in a variety of ways including baking, poaching, grilling and sautéing. It lends itself well to many ethnic flavors such as Korean Barbecue Shrimp, Oven Baked Cod Oreganata, Italian Mussels Marinara, French Lemon Cod Francese, and Mediterranean Baked Feta and Tomato Shrimp.
And best of all, most seafood cooks in about 10 to 15 minutes no matter which method of cooking you use. An all time family favorite seafood dinner recipe is Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Herb Panko.
Ingredients for baked cod with panko
Most well stocked pantries will have all the ingredients needed for this delicious seafood entrée. Garlic infused butter and fresh parsley flavor the delicate and crisp panko crumb topping. A squeeze of lemon adds a touch of brightness to dish.
- Salted butter
- Cod fillets
- Lemon
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Plain panko
- Fresh parsley
How to pick fresh fish at the market
A good rule of thumb when buying fish is to make sure it is the freshest available. Get to know your fishmonger. A knowledgeable fish merchant will be invaluable in helping pick the freshest fish. The seafood should not have a fishy or ammonia smell. The fish should be firm to the touch, and the color should be vibrant. If it still has its skin, the scales should be shiny. If there is any liquid surrounding the fish, it should be clear and not milky.
Chef cooking tips for making baked cod with panko
In about the time it takes to go to the drive through of your local take out restaurant, you could be enjoying Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Herb Panko for dinner instead.
- Use any firm fish in this versatile recipe. Options are halibut, haddock, salmon, swordfish, and mahi mahi.
- As soon as the butter melts, turn off the heat. You just want to infuse the butter with the garlic as opposed to sautéing it.
- A digital thermometer is indispensable when cooking fish. Overcooked fish will be dry. Perfectly cooked fish will be moist and opaque and have an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
What to serve with my baked cod recipe
Only 15 minutes is needed to bake the cod and turn the buttery garlicky panko a crunchy golden brown. Serve with any of the following side dishes.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment and a star rating below. Share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
Thanks ~ Amy
Recipe
Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Herb Panko
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 4 6 ounce cod fillets
- 1 lemon cut in wedges
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup plain panko
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the cod in the dish and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- In a small sauté pan over medium low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted and just begins to foam, turn off the heat and add the garlic. Let garlic infuse the butter for a minute or so.
- Add the panko and lightly toss until all the butter has been absorbed. Stir in the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Evenly divide the panko mixture on top of each cod fillet. Press down lightly.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until panko crumbs are golden brown and fish is just cooked through. Using a digital thermometer, the internal temperature of the fish should be 145 degrees F.
- Remove the fish from the oven and serve with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- Use any firm fish in this versatile recipe. Options are halibut, haddock, salmon, swordfish, and mahi mahi.
- As soon as the butter melts, turn off the heat. You just want to infuse the butter with the garlic as opposed to sautéing it.
- A digital thermometer is indispensable when cooking fish. Overcooked fish will be dry. Perfectly cooked fish will be moist and opaque and have an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Nutrition
KBell says
This was delicious! Even my husband loved it. Placed my cod fillets over seasoned rice. Great and quick dinner.
Amy Casey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. This is one of my go-to dinners that doesn't taste like a go to dinner.
Barbara says
Very good and easy
Amy Casey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe. This one's keeper! Thanks for the comment Barbara.
Gina Goodrich says
Excellent way to make cod and super easy!
Amy Casey says
Thanks Gina! Easy and delicious recipes are all what my website is about.
Rod Robertson says
I've made this a couple times; I was trying to roast the cod and purple potatoes at the same time; so I split the difference on the oven temperature and presumed with my genius, that everything would turn out however; it was a little on the dry side. So I made a pinch bowl of garlic, lemon, butter dipping sauce. If I closed my eyes it turner the cod into an almost-lobster and the purple potatoes, after I smashed them with a fork, into a delicious purple psychedelic potato pancake delight. I started the meal with a fresh spinach, red onion and walnut salad topped with little Ranch.
Amy Casey says
Wow! Sounds like quite a dinner!
Kate says
Excellent! My go-to recipe for cod. Goes well with mashed potatoes and broccoli.
Amy Casey says
We make this recipe on repeat at our house. I love that you served the cod with mashed potatoes and broccoli - yum!
Carol C says
I loved it! Good combination of butter, garlic, herbs, and lemon.
Nice crunchy top.
I made it with cod and will keep this recipe in rotation. 🙂
A nice change from salmon.
Amy Casey says
Thanks Carol! My husband loves cod so this is a frequent dinner at our house.
Cheryl says
Very quick and easy. Delicious, and my family loved it.
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Cheryl!! I make this frequently for my family.
Carol Greer says
Best recipe ever! Always opted to order fish at restaurants, because I wasn't too good at preparing it at home. This Crispy Garlic Herb Cod was my first success. Thank you!
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Carol! This is a fish recipe that I make all the time. It's great with salmon, swordfish and halibut too.
Carrie says
I've been making this for a few years. Delicious, easy recipe. My sister who doesn't like fish, loves this. Thank you!
Amy Casey says
Carrie ~ I'm so glad you and your sister enjoy my recipe. I make this one frequently for my family. So easy and delicious!!
Paila says
The crumb topping is fantastic. My husband is not a huge fish fan but I try to vary our dinners for health reasons . He said this was great ! I will be making this again .
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that! This is one of my favorite fish recipes and we have it for dinner often.
Michele says
I haven't been able to find a good baked cod recipe for a while but this one is a keeper! Fast, simple and so delish!
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Michelle. This is the one I make over and over again. The crispy garlic panko is a great compliment to the mild cod.
Eileen says
This is a keeper! Flavorful and way easy!!
Amy Casey says
That's fabulous Eileen! This is one of my go-to fish recipes. So easy and so delicious.
Jeff says
Excellent recipe. Prepared as written and added a splash of white wine and a couple of teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest into the butter garlic mixture. One of the best fish dishes I ever had.
Amy Casey says
Thanks Jeff! I appreciate sharing your tips too!
Jean says
Delicious results with cod created as directed. I didn't have parsley but I didn't miss it.
Amy Casey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe Jean. This is one of my go-to recipes when we want to have fish for dinner.
Patricia Tandan says
Cooked the recipe as written.
So simple, tasty and easy. One of the best cod recipes I have cooked.
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Patricia! I like to share easy recipes that are also delicious. This recipe is one I make all the time.
Kathy says
Solid easy recipe. I had some frozen cod loins. I added a bit more garlic and dried dill to the crumb coating and cooked it in the butter on the stove top until the crumbs were golden. Then I topped the fish that was already seasoned with S&P liberally and lemon juice.
Checked the temperature at 12 minutes and it was perfectly done.
Amy Casey says
That's fabulous Kathy! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
Melanie says
My store had a deal on their Italian panko crusted cod, and your cooking instructions worked perfectly for that! I'm sure I'll make this recipe when there is a deal on plain cod fillets.
Amy Casey says
Love your ingenuity Melanie!
Mary H says
This is so easy and my husband ate every bit of it and he's not a big fish fan.
Amy Casey says
That is an awesome review Mary. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lisa Ct says
This is a quick, powerful recipe that tastes fabulous! The panko was buttery and crispy with a garlicky twist. I
learned something new here by turning off the pan when you add the garlic for infusion so it won't burn. Well hot damn! Thanks for the awesome tip! Didn't change any ingredients but I did flash I under the broiler for 1.5 minutes which made it perfect! I wanted to take a picture, but we ate it too fast ?. Going to try the panko topping on thin chicken breast ?. Thanks for a straightforward recipe that's a proven winner in my book. Definitely adding it to our rotation ?
Amy Casey says
Thanks so much for your comment Lisa. I'm so glad you liked my recipe. Can't wait to hear how you like it on chicken.
Loretta says
This recipe was so easy, and so good. I served it with 7 layer salad and pickled beets. The beets were already made, so the whole dinner came together in 20 minutes. Don't nibble on fallen breadcrumbs that are overtoasted, the garlic will be bitter. The crumbs on the fish were perfect.
Amy Casey says
Thanks for your comment Loretta. I love a 7 layer salad!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
This dish is right up my alley, I just so happen to have some halibut that will work really well. It's meaty, succulent and maybe I will do it in an air fryer!
Thank you so much for the wonderful inspiration!???
Moop Browb says
This fish looks tasty and is recipe I can see paired well with a variety of other dishes or sides. Thanks for sharing!
Jacqueline Debono says
What a lovely but easy weeknight meal. I made this oven baked cod for dinner on Friday and we enjoyed it a lot. I'd like to try the panko mixture on some other white fish. I think it would be delicious on sole fillets too!
Jenny says
The cod came out really great. The whole meal was terrific. The butter-panko -garlic combination is incredible! Thanks so much; it's a great recipe.
Amy Casey says
Thanks Jenny! You can't go wrong with butter and garlic 🙂
Amy Liu Dong says
A simple and delicious dish to make for everyone this weekend. I love it and so excited to make this for my family.
Amy Casey says
Thanks Amy~ we make this one all the time!
Anna says
Delicious and beautiful dish, the whole family loved it! It was simple and easy to prepare, and we loved the crunch from breadcrumbs!
Amy Casey says
This is the recipe that got my kids to love seafood 🙂
Julia says
Usually my cod can come out so flavorless but this was so yummy with the panko crust.
Amy Casey says
I feel the same way. The recipe is an easy way to get delicious crunchy fish without deep frying.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing your genius recipe of baked cod with panko! It taste amazing and the recipe is very understandable! Thanks again!
Amy Casey says
You are welcome! Thanks for your kind compliments 🙂
Colleen says
We loved this. I used gluten-free panko and it was so simple to make and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy Casey says
Great substitution for a gluten free recipe ~ so glad you enjoyed my recipe.
HEATHER PERINE says
This is a dish I always order at a local restaurant here, but never knew how easy it was to make at home! So good..will definitely make again!
Amy Casey says
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Dave Mack says
Great recipe but not so great on sole...meat too thin and cooked through long before panko could brown up. Will add a dash of dill too next time.
Amy Casey says
Thanks for your comment Dave. I suggest browning the panko along with the butter and garlic ~ just cook it for a few minutes while stirring. And the dill sounds delicious!