ThisBaked Cod with Bread Crumbs is fancy enough for company, yet easy enough for a weeknight dinner! The divine bread crumb topping includes Parmesan, Romano and white wine.
1tablespoonfresh lemon juice(plus more for serving; need 1 lemon total)
1tablespoonolive oil
1tablespoonfresh, chopped parsley
¾teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoonpaprika(plus more to sprinkle on top)
3tablespoonssalted butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and grease it with cooking spray.
Rinse the cod and feel for any bones to remove. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Use kitchen scissors to cut the cod into serving portions. Place the cod on the foil-lined pan. Wash your hands.
Grate the Parmesan and Romano, if needed. (I use my blender.) Rise the parsley and pat it dry. Chop up the parsley leaves until you have a tablespoon of them.
Add the bread crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Add the Parmesan, Romano, white wine, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, garlic powder and paprika. Toss with a fork to combine, making sure the bread crumbs are evenly dampened.
Use a large spoon or scoop to place some of the bread crumb mixture on top of the entire surface of each piece of cod. Keep piling on the bread crumbs until all of them are used. With clean hands (or wearing food-grade gloves), mound the crumbs on top of the fish (scoop up the bread crumbs from the pan as needed) and pat the topping down so it stays in place. Wash your hands if needed.
Slice the butter into squares and top each piece of cod with at least one pat of butter. (Use all the butter.) Sprinkle some more paprika onto the fish and bake for 25 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the cod is cooked and flakes easily.
Squeeze extra lemon juice over the fish and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cooked fish also can be frozen and should be used within three months, for best quality. It's delicious reheated in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes on the lowest rack.
Notes
Bread Crumb Topping - Use all of it! It will seem like way too much when you're adding it to the fish, but it will form the perfect crust when it bakes.Fish Substitutions: You can use any white flaky fish, such as pollock, haddock, or orange roughy, in place of the cod.White Wine: I like Sauvignon Blanc here, but you can use another white wine. I haven't tried this with red wine, but you could probably do that in a pinch. If you need to omit the alcohol, add another tablespoon of lemon juice to the bread crumb mixture.Bread Crumbs: Use plain ones, whether you buy them or use homemade bread crumbs. I'm not a fan of panko, but I'll look the other way if you need to substitute them.If you only have Italian seasoned bread crumbs, you should be able to make those work, but you still need to add all of the ingredients that go in the topping. You may need to reduce the garlic powder in the recipe, however.