Lemon Baked Cod Recipe from Dine and Dish (2024)

FAQs

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.

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.

Bake in 400 degrees F heated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cod is cooked through. The fish is ready when it turns a beautiful white opaque and flakes easily when you take a fork to it. Garnish and serve! I love adding some parsley for a pop of green!

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.

We recommend not rinsing unless you need to rinse off any scales. Pat dry with paper towels whether you rinse or not. Preheat the oven to 450°F for fillets and steaks or 350°F for dressed fish. Even thickness: Place the fish in a single layer in a greased shallow baking pan (like a baking sheet).

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). Serve immediately.

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.

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.

Temperature is the key to making sure your frozen cod doesn't turn out rubbery or chewy. No matter how you cook it, be sure that your cod reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F as measured by a food thermometer. At this temperature, its flesh will be opaque white and flake easily when pressed with a fork.

Take your fish out of the refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes before grilling to let it come to room temperature. You will want to leave your fish on the grill for 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Make sure to preheat your grill to 400°F to 450°F and always grill with the lid down.

How do you not overcook cod fish? ›

Dunlap suggests cutting thick, 2-inch cod fillets crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces and cook on the cut sides. If the fillet is an inch thick, just cut the fish into 2-inch squares. “It's better to undercook cod than to overcook it, so test the fish after cooking 2 minutes on each side.

Cod is a low-fat source of protein, making it an excellent choice for people who would like to reduce their fat intake and improve their heart health. Cod also contains a significant amount of iodine, which is an important mineral for thyroid function.

The presence of bile in whole fish and fish viscera is shown to cause bitterness in fish protein hydrolysates. The fat and ash content could also cause bitter taste.

Fish comes in a wonderful variety of flavors and textures, but there is one texture it generally shouldn't be – mushy. A mushy fish is a sure sign that it was not only once frozen, but thawed out improperly.

When fish is fried at higher temperatures, it loses some of the important omega-3 fats and vitamin D with some studies reporting fish such as salmon loses half of its vitamin D when fried. Baking fish is a great way to keep the important nutrients intact without upping the fat content to unhealthy levels.

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.

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.