This Baked Cod in Tomato Sauce Recipe is a quick and easy weeknight meal. These cod fillets are baked in an aromatic, rich tomato sauce, with garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, and capers, all in one pan!
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Note: This recipe was originally published in July 2019, but has been improved and re-photographed. We hope you enjoy the new look!
This dish has a bold spiced tomato sauce, paired with the bright and light flavor of lots of fresh lemon juice, zest, and herbs to pair with cod fish. Healthy, full of flavor, and minimal dishes make for a fish dinner that you'll come back to time and time again.
Looking for more simple fish or seafood dinner ideas? You may also like this oven baked Chilean sea bass, this pesto butter salmon, or these scallops and bacon with a white wine pan sauce.
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Healthy. This dish is made with fresh, wholesome ingredients that make an excellent healthy dinner. Serve it with a variety of sides, like some lemon garlic pasta, roasted lemon garlic green beans, potatoes, spaghetti squash, or a simple arugula spinach salad for a delicious meal.
- Flavorful. The delicious tomato sauce that's decently spiced with red pepper flakes. Layer in some the herbs like fresh parsley and sweet basil, then plenty of lemony zing, and briny capers for a bright and complex dish.
- Easy recipe. We love an easy dish! This dish comes together with minimal effort and is ready in about 30 minutes.
- Simple ingredients. Everything you need for this dish can be found at nearly any grocery store, if you don't already have what you need on hand!
- Suitable for multiple diet types. This dish is great for pescatarians, is naturally gluten-free, low carb, egg free, and can be made dairy free as well.
- One pan meal. Cleaning this dish up is a breeze since you only need one large skillet to prepare it.
🍅Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Unsalted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onions
- Garlic
- Cod fish fillets - Fresh cod can be used, or get some frozen and defrost it overnight in the fridge.
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Oregano
- Red pepper flakes - Optional, and to taste.
- Lemon juice & zest
- Italian parsley
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Capers - Optional, but the brininess really complements the fish, and it cuts through the rich tomato sauce.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here's a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Dairy free. Swap the butter in this recipe for more olive oil.
- More veggies. Add some red bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, corn, or cauliflower to this dish.
- Smoky flavor. Try adding smoked paprika for a bit of a smoky taste.
- Use different types of fish. Not keen on cod? You can use other white fish instead, like haddock, halibut, or tilapia instead of cod.
- Change the tomato base. You can use fresh tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste if you prefer. To use fresh tomatoes, dice them and cook them down in the skillet with salt, olive oil, garlic, and onion until they form a sauce. You can also use high-quality canned tomatoes, or even marinara sauce if you prefer.
- Add different herbs and spices. You can experiment with different herbs and spices to change the flavor profile of the dish. Try adding thyme, rosemary, or smoked paprika.
- Spicier. If you like your food on the spicier side, add more red pepper flakes, or even some cayenne pepper. Diced jalapeños would make a great addition as well.
- Milder. Not big on spice? You can omit the red pepper flakes.
🔪Prep work
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pat fish dry with paper towels.
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
- Dice onion.
- Mince garlic.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Season cod fillets with some of the red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, and lemon zest, reserving some for later. Set aside. (Image 1)
Add butter to a hot skillet to melt, then add in onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes, then add in tomato paste. (Image 2)
Cook for 2-3 minutes until the color of the tomato paste deepens. Add in garlic, then the remaining seasonings of red pepper flakes, and oregano, followed by lemon zest and capers. (Image 3)
Stir often to ensure the garlic doesn't burn, until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add in the crushed tomatoes, followed by fresh parsley and basil. (Image 4)
Stir to wilt slightly for 2-3 minutes, adjusting seasonings to taste.
Nestle in the cod fillets, then drizzle olive oil and half of the lemon juice over top of the mixture. (Image 5)
Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the cod reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and flakes easily with a fork. Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice on, then top with lemon wedges, more fresh parsley, and basil. (Image 6)
Serve hot, spooning the tomato sauce over the cod fillets. Serve it with a nice glass of white wine, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, and some crusty bread. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Choose high-quality cod fillets that are fresh and firm, with no signs of discoloration or odor.
- If using frozen cod fillets, be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before preparing them.
- Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels. This will help them cook evenly and prevent excess moisture in the sauce.
- Don't overcook the fish. Take the fish out of the oven when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the fish reads 142°F, as the cod will continue to cook as it rests. You do want to make sure the internal temperature of the fish reads 145°F with an instant read thermometer before digging in. Cooking it much longer than this will create dry, tough, and rubbery fish!
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don't recommend freezing, as this will alter the texture of the cod.
To reheat, simmer gently on the stovetop, covered until warmed through. You can also heat it in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
To use the microwave, heat at 50% power until warm. Enjoy!
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📖 Recipe
Baked Cod in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds cod fish filets (about 8 fillets)
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced and divided (optional and to taste)
- 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, divided (added to taste)
- 2 teaspoons oregano, divided
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, divided
- ½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided (optional, and to taste)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, divided (zest from two lemons)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons capers (optional)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 handful fresh basil (optional and to taste)
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice, divided (juice of two lemons)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
- Season the cod fillets with 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of oregano, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste, fresh parsley, and the zest of 1 lemon. Make sure the fish is seasoned well on both sides.
- Add butter to a hot skillet to melt, then add in onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes, then add in tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the color of the tomato paste deepens. Add in garlic, then the remaining seasonings of red pepper flakes, oregano, lemon zest, and capers. Stir often to ensure the garlic doesn't burn, until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes, followed by fresh parsley and basil. Stir to wilt slightly for 2-3 minutes, adjusting seasonings to taste.
- Nestle in the cod fillets, then drizzle olive oil and half of the lemon juice over top of the mixture. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the cod reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and flakes easily with a fork. Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice on, then top with lemon wedges, more fresh parsley, and basil.
- Serve hot, spooning the tomato sauce over the cod fillets. Serve it with a nice glass of white wine, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, and some crusty bread.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don't recommend freezing, as this will alter the texture of the cod.
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We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Season to taste, and omit spices you don't like.
- Choose high-quality cod fillets that are fresh and firm, with no signs of discoloration or odor.
- If using frozen cod fillets, be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before preparing them.
- Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels. This will help them cook evenly and prevent excess moisture in the sauce.
- Don't overcook the fish. Take the fish out of the oven when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the fish reads 142°F, as the cod will continue to cook as it rests. You do want to make sure the internal temperature of the fish reads 145°F with an instant read thermometer before digging in. Cooking it much longer than this will create dry, tough, and rubbery fish!
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