Name: Pecan Crusted Baked Cod
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup bread crumbs (I use my own sourdough crumbs, but you can use store-bought or panko. ); ½ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated); ¼ cup pecan halves (toasted and chopped small); 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme; zest of 1 lemon; 2 pounds fresh cod (cut into 6-8 pieces); olive oil (to coat the fish); 4 Tablespoons butter (cut into 8 pieces); salt and pepper to taste; lemon wedges for serving

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When you need a quick dinner, fish is an easy option because it cooks so quickly. Not only is Pecan Crusted Baked Cod quick and easy, it's also a beautiful dinner to serve to guests. The crust lends just a bit of crunch and flavor and the tender flakiness of the cod is beautiful.

Pecan Crusted Baked Cod on a vintage ironstone platter

The crust ingredients

Although this recipe is called Pecan-Crusted, most of the crust is breadcrumbs with the pecans adding some crunch and flavor. I use my own sourdough breadcrumbs, but you can use store-bought or panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). And of course, you can most certainly use gluten-free!

Mix the breadcrumbs with lemon zest, toasted pecans, fresh thyme, freshly grated parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard.

Cod is a mild white fish that goes by many different names. Atlantic cod (obviously from the Atlantic Ocean), Pacific Cod (again, obviously ...), Lingcod, Alaska Cod, Black Cod (also known as sablefish) ... and there several others, too. They are all white fish and very similar, but my favorites are Pacific cod, Lingcod, and Sablefish. Pictured below is Lingcod. It's firm and thick and absolutely beautiful!

You can use any whitefish in place of cod in this recipe for Pecan Crusted Baked Cod. Halibut would be wonderful as it has a similar texture as cod. If you use a thinner fish, be sure to adjust the cook time.

Beautiful Ling cod in the fishmonger's paper

Cut the fillet into individual pieces that are about a quarter pound each. Coat each piece with a bit of olive oil and put the crust on top, pressing it down a bit.

Top each piece with a bit of butter just before you put it in the oven. Be sure to season with salt and pepper! Maybe the best part of this whole dinner is that the fish only takes 12-15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. That gives you just enough time to saute some green beans and get dinner on the table!

When the fish is done, it should flake easily when you touch it either with a fork or knife. Be sure not to overcook it or it will be dry!

Put butter on top ... butter makes everything better!

How to serve Pecan Crusted Baked Cod

I love to keep this dinner light and simple with just some sauteed green beans, but if you want/need some carbs, steamed white rice with some lemon butter would be a delicious addition to the table.

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