How to Bake Codfish

Cod is a delicious fish that will literally melt in your mouth when it is prepared correctly. While recipes vary, baking is widely understood as the best method of preparing cod for its health and taste benefits. This can be an extremely tender fish, but to get the maximum effect it is first necessary to make sure that the juices can be baked in.

Baking Codfish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a metric oven, this is 205 degrees Celsius.

Clean the fish under cold water

Once the cod has been cleaned, pat it gently with a clean paper towel to absorb any excess water, especially if the cod has been frozen and was recently defrosted.

Tear off a piece of aluminum foil twice

You will repeat this process for each piece of codfish that you plan to bake. The fish will be wrapped in this foil pouch while it cooks.
Lay one piece of codfish diagonally onto each piece of foil. Turn the edges of the foil up slightly so that you still have full access to the fish but so that no juices or ingredients can exit the foil.

Add any spices that you wish to add

This is a personal choice, but excellent additions to baked cod include salt, pepper, parsley, tarragon, red pepper, thyme, rosemary, and lemon. Cod is relatively mild-flavored, however, so you have a lot of options for experimentation.
There are specific recipes in the "Variations" section below.
Add thin pats of butter on top of the fish. This provides some necessary oil and fat for cooking. For a healthier option, drizzle the fish with olive oil.

Pull the sides of each foil packet up

Fish should be tightly packaged and unable to shift or move inside the foil package.
Put the foil packets containing the cod onto a cookie sheet. Lay the foil packets side by side, not stacking any of them, to ensure that all the fish gets properly cooked.
Bake the cookie sheet full of cod for 20 minutes. Don't worry about moving or adjusting the fish, the foil will ensure that it all cooks evenly.
Remove the cod packets from the oven and check each foil packet to ensure the fish has been properly cooked. The fish should be white, flaky, and firm. Serve and enjoy!