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Baked Cod in Cream Sauce

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This baked cod is hands-down my favorite fish dish. It turns out perfectly flaky every time. The flavorful, creamy sauce puts it over the top!

This baked cod is one of the easiest fish dishes you can make, and easily one of the most delicious! You get perfect, flaky cod every time and the cream sauce kicks it up to the next level. Even your pickiest eaters will love this dish! Cod is such a mild fish anyway but when it is baked in this cream sauce, any trace of fishiness disappears. You are going to love it!

How to buy fish:

About 10 years ago I took a cooking class from a renowned chef in Salt Lake City. The entire class was all about how to cook fish. The chef gave some excellent pointers on how to find and buy the best fish, one of them being if you must buy fish from a grocery store (rather than a fresh fish market), always buy it FROZEN.

Don’t buy the fish that has already been thawed and sitting in the case. Most likely, they took fish that was frozen already and put it in the case. If you go home and freeze the fish for later use, that will be the 2nd time it has been frozen. That is not ideal. If you must, ask the person at the seafood counter to wrap up some fish for you that is still frozen. Or to simplify things, just buy the frozen cod at Costco. It’s delicious!

Substitutions for cod:

For this recipe you can use any kind of mild white fish, not just cod. Halibut, tilapia, mahi mahi… these will all work great! Just be sure that when you are cooking them to check for doneness. Tilapia will typically cook faster than, say, halibut because it is usually not as thick of a cut. Use whatever fish is “in season” and you won’t be disappointed! Here is a great chart to see what fish are in season at any given time (click HERE).

What goes well with baked cod?

We like to serve this particular dish with either baked or mashed potatoes. You can also serve it with plain or seasoned rice. Our favorite vegetables to serve with baked cod is sautéed sweet asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, or peas. You really can’t go wrong with any kind of steamed vegetable!

Can baked cod be re-heated?

Yes… if done correctly. The best way I have found to re-heat fish is to put it in a frying pan with a lid and bring it up to temperature on the stove (slowly). If you heat it on too high of heat it will burn, so watch it closely. You definitely don’t want to throw it in the microwave. Fish does re-heat well in the microwave! It will turn rubbery and the flavor will just not be there.

How to make gluten-free baked cod:

To make this recipe gluten-free, the only thing you really need to be conscious of is the breadcrumbs. You can easily replace the breadcrumbs with GF breadcrumbs or you can leave the breadcrumbs out altogether. The béchamel sauce is made with cornstarch so you don’t need to make any adjustments there.

How to prepare baked cod:

First, you season the fish with salt and then slather with seasoned butter:

Then, add some bread crumbs over the top:

Lastly, pour the cream sauce around the fish and bake! Easy right? Dinner is done in less than 40 minutes!

If you want to make it really fancy (with very little effort), bake the cod in separate gratin dishes. Isn’t that pretty?

How to make Baked Cod in Cream Sauce:

Lightly breaded cod in cream sauce being pulled apart with a fork to show flaky texture

Baked Cod in Cream Sauce

This baked cod is hands-down my favorite fish dish. It turns out perfectly flaky every time. The flavorful, creamy sauce puts it over the top!
Print Pin Rate Video
Serves: 6
Author: Erica Walker
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the cream sauce:

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 400-degrees. 
  • Prepare cream sauce (see instructions below) and set aside, keeping warm. 
  • Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and place cod fillets in the dish. Sprinkle with salt. 
  • Combine melted butter and garlic and brush over fillets, reserving any leftover butter mixture. 
  • Sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs over fillets and pour remaining butter mixture over the top.
  • Pour cream sauce in the spaces between the cod fillets so it fills up the baking dish and just the tops of the fillets are visible. 
  • Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cream sauce starts bubbling. 
  • When the sauce starts bubbling up, set oven to "broil" and broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the fillets start to turn golden brown. 
  • Keep a CLOSE eye on it to make sure it doesn't start to burn. 
  • Remove from oven and serve with potatoes, rice, or vegetables. 

For the cream sauce:

  • Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.
  • Slowly add the cornstarch and stir for about 1 minute. 
  • While whisking constantly, slowly add whipping cream and milk until well combined. Stir in Parmesan cheese. 
  • Reduce heat to low and whisk occasionally for about 10 minutes until sauce becomes rich and creamy, adding more milk, if needed. You want it to be the consistency of a thin gravy. 
  • Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

VIDEO

COURSE: Dinner
CUISINE: Seafood
Baked Cod

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 764mg | Potassium: 707mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 15.9% | Vitamin C: 1.2% | Calcium: 21.6% | Iron: 11.1%
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Reader Interactions

54 Comments

      • Cindy says

        March 15, 2019 at 2:04 pm

        Please tell me the method to defrosting and prepping frozen fish before cooking. I buy the individually wrapped fillets of cod & flounder and the cooked result is always mushy when I fry it. Not confident enough to try this recipe. I defrost in the frig, lightly press with paper towels until it stops immediately soaking the paper towels before cooking. What am I doing wrong?

        reply to comment

          • Benjamin Facer says

            April 11, 2019 at 11:29 am

            There is also a tendency to overcook fish for fear of it being raw which often results in it becoming mushy. It only needs to cook until it is flakey and opaque. Use a fork at a 45 degree angle to twist gently into the fish and check the flakeyness. If it’s still translucent cook a little longer checking regularly.

  4. Rowdy1 says

    October 31, 2018 at 6:46 pm


    I added dill and tarragon to olive oil and garlic to brush the fish. And the cream became ff plain Greek yogurt, half the amount, with a little skim milk. Wonderful

    reply to comment

  5. Paul says

    November 21, 2018 at 6:00 am

    400 degrees is way too hot for cooking cod and will dry out the edges. 360 is best, 380 if you have less time. And forget the old wives tale of not refreezing fish or meats. Restaurants do it all the time. What they don’t sell that day goes into the freezer overnight.

    Lastly, I like to play with my food and these online recipes are just a guide. I slice onions, mushrooms, and celery to make a bed to lay the the fillets on. (Makes cleanup easier too.) That also adds flavor to the sauce as they cook. I use heavy cream, and grate enough cheese as I think is good. Three tablespoons of cheese is nothing. I also combine different cheese for flavor. Parmesan is good, but I may add swiss and mozzarella as well. Pour the sauce over the fillets and then add the breadcrumbs. The sauce will make them stick to the fillets.

    Cook up some pasta to put on your plate, spoon some sauce with the veggies over the pasta, place your fillets on top and you have a delicious and easy meal.

    reply to comment

    • Christine Scanling says

      January 31, 2019 at 10:00 am


      I wonder why people think it necessary to pick fault in a recipe that another is sharing…its very demeaning and unkind…..
      Also i have been cooking fish twice a week and brought up in the food industry
      The higher the temp and faster you cook it is always best ,it comes out so light tender it melts in your mouth…..
      If one does not care for a recipe viewed ..just move on to another
      If you already know best.. why look at all !

      reply to comment

        • Christine Scanling says

          February 1, 2019 at 2:23 pm

          Yes there is no other way with fish..I cook salmon and fish st 425 ..
          It always turns out perfect…chefs also cook it at the temp of course when fish is in sauce it’s slightly lower 400 is spot on..
          Thank you for this great recipe it’s so delicious and I shall make it often ! 😊

          reply to comment

      • Sunnygirl says

        March 8, 2019 at 9:22 am

        Nobody is picking fault. They are giving other ideas. And in some cases, some of us who have been cooking for years can see when there are extra steps in a recipe that are unneeded…such as simply pouring the sauce over the cod, and eliminating the butter and garlic. Put the garlic in the sauce, and it will still turn out great.

        Also, what you said about the temp is correct if you don’t have the fish in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cod cooks quickly.

        You can view these as negatives, but most probably see them as tips.

        reply to comment

  7. WILL says

    January 6, 2019 at 7:23 pm


    Followed Paul’s suggestions and did potatoes in a chili olive oil on the side. Paul’s recipe for the first was spot on the only thing I did different was add lemon with the onion and mushroom. Also instead of regular seasoned panko I did the spicy. My girl said it was the best dish i ever made!

    reply to comment

  15. Glenn says

    March 8, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    I made this Keto friendly, I used less corn starch and more cheese and substituted ground up pork rinds with Italian seasoning for the bread crumbs. It turned out delicious, thank you for the recipe even if I had to adapt it a little for my diet. It was a family hit and I will be making it again. I even put asparagus spears in the sauce to cook with the fish, turn out wonderful.

    reply to comment

    • Sarah says

      March 30, 2019 at 5:44 pm

      Did you put the asparagus in the pan for the entire time?? I have asparagus on a separate pan in the oven at the same time but I love the idea of one pan

      reply to comment

  19. Judith says

    March 22, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    Hi can’t wait to try this recipe, can i use frozen cod, ?
    My mom used to make this when i was a child, it was so good..
    thanks for sharing.
    cheers Judith

    reply to comment

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