Oven-baked cod with sun-dried tomato & herb crust

Juicy oven-baked cod with a tasty topping of sun-dried tomatoes, lemon and herbs. An easy and delicious main dish that’s ready in only 30 minutes!

In recent months, our family diet has definitely tended more towards plant-based meals and away from animal products. We’re eating a lot more vegan and vegetarian dishes. Even things like eggs and cheese are being consumed less frequently. 

However, on Shabbat, we usually have at least one fish-based meal. This is typically on Friday night, so any leftovers can be recycled for lunch next day.

Fishy variety

Recently we’ve been eating a lot of Friday night salmon, so I decided to change it up by getting cod instead. 

While the health benefits of oily fish like salmon are well known, other fish such as cod and haddock can sometimes be overlooked. In fact, cod is a great source of lean protein, and contains a significant amount of vitamin B12 and iodine. B12 can sometimes be lacking in a wholly plant-based diet so it’s good to be able to top it up in our one fish meal of the week! 

Iodine is an essential mineral that’s critical to proper functioning of the thyroid. Iodine is required to make the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which enable the body to create certain proteins and enzymes, and regulate the metabolism. Sea fish are a great source of iodine, as are other sea products such as seaweed. You can also find iodine in lesser amounts in eggs and dairy, and in iodised table salt.

Oven-baked fish – keep it moist!

I like the taste of white fish like cod, but it can have a tendency to dry out in the oven. It needs careful cooking to prevent oven-baked cod from becoming hard, dry and unappetising.

I’ve found that a great way to prevent oven-baked cod and other white fish from becoming too dry is to cook it under a crust or topping. This helps to seal in the moisture as the fish cooks, especially if the topping contains something a little bit oily.

Oven-baked cod with sun-dried tomato topping

With this in mind I set about making a delicious topping for my cod.

I used sun-dried tomatoes in oil which have an intense and delicious flavour, then added lemon and parsley which are classic accompaniments to fish. I spread the mixture over the fish and dusted it with breadcrumbs for texture.

Oven-baked cod ingredients

As outlined above, this delicious oven-baked cod is made with just a handful of ingredients, but they really pack in the flavour. To make this yourself, you will need:

• Cod fillets – or you can use any white fish fillets, such as hake or haddock.
• Sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
• Lemon – just the zest. You can squeeze the juice over when you serve the cod if you like.
• Fresh parsley.
• Dried breadcrumbs – panko crumbs are nice and crunchy but any breadcrumbs will be fine.
• Olive oil – to grease the baking tray.

No leftovers!

The resulting oven-baked cod was juicy and delicious. We ate it for our Friday night dinner and DH liked it so much that although I’d made 4 pieces for the 3 of us, there were no leftovers! 

I think this will become a regular in our Friday night fish menus! 

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📖 Recipe

Baked cod with sun-dried tomato & herb crust

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Juicy baked cod fillets with a tasty topping.

4.91 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine European

Servings 4

Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• olive oil for greasing the tray
• 4 cod fillets (or similar white fish)
• 4-6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• zest of a lemon
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoon breadcrumbs, divided

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly oil a non-stick baking tray, or one lined with foil.
• Rinse the cod fillets if required and pat dry with kitchen towels. Arrange on the oiled baking tray, leaving space between them.
• Put the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, parsley and 2 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs into a mini chopper and process to a coarse paste. Spread ¼ of the paste over each cod fillet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs over the top and gently press down.
• Bake the cod at 180°C (350°F) for around 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flaking. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Baked cod with sun-dried tomato & herb crust

Amount per Serving

Calories

181

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

3

g

5

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Cholesterol

 

73

mg

24

%

Sodium

 

150

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

738

mg

21

%

Carbohydrates

 

6

g

2

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

31

g

62

%

Vitamin A

 

165

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

 

4

mg

5

%

Calcium

 

43

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword fish, herbs, lemon

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More delicious cod recipes

If you love baked cod, why not try it with a leek and cheddar crumb topping, a garlic, herb & parmesan crust, or in a delicious cod and sweetcorn puff-pastry pie.