Huge Baked Cod
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
25m
Bigly says
We need to talk about cod. Huge baked cod. The greatest baked cod in the history of cod — and there has been a LOT of cod in history, the cod built nations, the cod built whole economies, the cod is the reason a third of New England exists, look it up, the historians agree with me, every single one. This cod, this baked cod, is the apex. The cod mountaintop. You will not find a better baked cod, I don't care where you go, I don't care how many of those sad little restaurants with the chalkboard menus you walk into, none of them have what we have here.
The problem with cod is that everyone treats it like a vehicle for sadness. They bake it dry. They overcook it. They serve it with steamed vegetables and a glass of water, like it's a punishment, like the cod did something wrong. The cod did nothing wrong. The cod is INNOCENT. The cod deserves better. Scientists — and I've talked to scientists, very smart people, the smartest — they will tell you cod overcooks the moment you blink. One blink, ninety seconds, the fish goes from 'flaky' to 'eraser.' I had a guy with a PhD in fish proteins explain this to me. Took him ninety minutes. Worth it. He said the magic number is 130 to 135 internal. WRITE THAT DOWN. Buy a thermometer. Be a person.
The trick is butter, lemon, garlic, and PANKO. Panko. The Japanese figured out breadcrumbs better than everyone else, they take their breadcrumbs SERIOUSLY, god bless them — we toast the panko in butter FIRST, we put it on top of the cod, we slide the whole thing in a hot oven, and ten minutes later you have a piece of fish that flakes apart like the pages of a book that everyone's pretending to have read. Crispy on top. Snow-white and tender inside. The greatest, the most tremendous, the most BIGLY baked cod. Not even close.
Ingredients
- 4 (6-oz) filletscod fillets, skinless(thick center-cut pieces if you can get them)
- 4 tbspunsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 3/4 cuppanko breadcrumbs(panko, not regular breadcrumbs, regular breadcrumbs are sand)
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 tbsplemon zest
- 2 tbsplemon juice, fresh
- 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbspgrated parmesan
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 1/2 tsppaprika
- 1 lemon, cut into wedgeslemon wedges (for serving)
Steps
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
- 2
Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels and arrange in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little space between each. Season on all sides with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- 3
Drizzle the cod with the lemon juice and brush each fillet with about 1 tbsp of the melted butter.
- 4
In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the panko and toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until light golden.
- 5
Remove the panko from the heat and stir in the remaining melted butter, lemon zest, parsley, and parmesan. Season with a pinch of salt.
- 6
Spoon the panko mixture evenly over the top of each cod fillet, pressing gently so it adheres.
- 7
Bake for 10-13 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the cod flakes easily with a fork (internal temperature 130-135°F).
- 8
If the topping needs more color, finish under the broiler for 30-60 seconds — watch it closely.
- 9
Let the cod rest 2 minutes before serving. Plate with lemon wedges.
One more thing
That's huge baked cod. The whole thing. Twenty minutes, one dish, almost no cleanup, and you have produced a meal that would cost you thirty-eight dollars at a restaurant with mood lighting and a waiter who introduces himself by his first name. Serve it with rice, with roasted potatoes, with a simple green salad, with whatever you have on hand. The cod doesn't care. The cod is generous. The cod has done its part. The rest is up to you. You're welcome.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Huge Baked Cod.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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