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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.
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.
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!
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.
Other recipes you might like:
Recipe
Pecan Crusted Baked Cod
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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, pecans, mayonnaise, mustard, thyme, and lemon zest.
- Arrange the cod fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture evenly on the fillets, pressing it firmly. Put half a tablespoon of butter on top of each piece.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Katie
Love love loved this! So tasty and fresh and even better that it could be baked instead of having to tend to the fish on the stove top. It’s a definite keeper in our house!
Tammy Circeo
Oh Katie! I'm so glad you loved it! It's one of my favorites, too.