Baked Cod Herb Butter (Printable)

Tender flaky cod baked in lemon butter sauce.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 cod fillets (6 oz each), skinless and boneless
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Herb Butter

04 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
08 - 1 garlic clove, minced
09 - Zest of 1 lemon
10 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ Garnish

11 - Lemon wedges
12 - Extra chopped herbs

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
03 - In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, parsley, dill, chives, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until well blended.
04 - Place the cod fillets in the prepared baking dish. Spread the herb butter evenly over each fillet.
05 - Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque throughout.
06 - Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of extra herbs, if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but honest—no pretense, just butter and herbs doing what they do best.
  • Prep is genuinely fast, so you can make it on a weeknight without thinking twice.
  • The fish stays tender because it's gone in five minutes, and you'll actually want to make it again next week.
02 -
  • Overcooked fish turns into rubber—the moment it flakes, it's done, not five minutes later.
  • Don't add the herb butter to room-temperature fish; it needs to start melting the second it hits the fillet.
03 -
  • Make the herb butter while the oven preheats so you're not scrambling once the fish is ready to go in.
  • If you want deeper flavor without complexity, stir a tiny bit of Dijon mustard into the butter—it adds mystery instead of shouting.

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