Oven Baked Cod with Panko is so quick and simple to make, but loved by everyone, kids and adults alike! It’s got that New England-style breadcrumb topping that is made from a mix of Ritz crackers, panko breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Truly, it works with just about any type of fish — from cod and other white fish to more succulent sea scallops, shrimp, or even salmon.
You’ll love how juicy, tender, and moist the baked cod fish remains when baked. Don’t worry, the topping gets super crispy! It’s flavored with lots of fresh garlic and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Fresh parsley and lemon zest add a lovely brightness that works well with just about all seafood.
We’re serving this up family-style with lots of lemon wedges. It’s the perfect kid-approved meal for any night of the week, but also easy enough to make for those special occasion meals, like on Christmas Eve for a Feast of the Seven Fishes.
If you love this easy, comforting seafood recipe, be sure to try our Fish Pie or Crab Stuffed Salmon next!
What You’ll Need For Baked Cod With Panko
Grab the following ingredients:
- Norwegian cod (about 3-4 fillets): You’ll want about 2 – 2 ¼ fish fillets for this recipe. Skin removed and discarded!
- Panko breadcrumbs: These are Japanese breadcrumbs that are coarser and crunchier than traditional breadcrumbs.
- Ritz crackers, finely ground: The perfect buttery crunch!
- Fresh parsley: We recommend using fresh herbs (the parsley adds a real brightness to the dish, and works particularly well with lemon!). If substituting dried herbs, use ¼ the amount.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: The combination of buttery cracker crumbs, panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese is just perfect with the flaky white fish.
- Garlic: We love the zippy bite that fresh garlic adds to the panko topping, but you can certainly use dried garlic powder instead. Instead of 2 large cloves, we recommend 1 tsp dried garlic powder.
- Lemon zest: The way fresh lemon zest can brighten any seafood recipe should not be underestimated. Cut the lemon into wedges for serving. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice goes a long way!!
- Extra virgin olive oil: Both to ensure the cod fillets don’t stick to the dish, but also to help get the topping golden brown.
- Melted butter: We’re using unsalted melted butter to add richness, flavor, and to help crisp up the panko crumbs
The only other equipment you need is a large mixing bowl to make the crunchy Ritz cracker topping. No baking sheet or parchment paper required! Everything gets cooked in a single baking dish then served family-style. Totally perfect for a Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas Eve meal!
How To Make Baked Cod With Panko
Oven baked cod is so easy to make! We’ll start by cutting the cod fillets into small 2″ size pieces. This will help them cook more evenly.
Next, grease a large baking dish with some extra virgin olive oil or a generous coating of cooking spray. Place the pieces of cod on top, then season generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Finally, make the topping. Combine ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup Ritz cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers), 3 Tbsp chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, 2 large cloves of garlic (minced, about 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons), 1 tsp lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted in a large bowl. Use a fork to toss gently, then sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the cod. It’ll have the texture of coarse sand. Give it a good drizzle of olive oil before baking in a preheated oven.
If the fish is in a single layer, it will take about 12-15 minutes at 350F to fully cook though. If there’s some overlapping (which is totally okay!), cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the panko breadcrumb topping is a light golden brown and the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145 F.
What To Serve With Baked Cod
Panko-crusted cod is perfect with some chopped parsley and fresh lemon juice. Serve with a generous amount of lemon wedges!
If you’re looking for classic side dishes, we love to serve baked fish with french fries or garlic mashed potatoes and homemade coleslaw. You could serve some crusty garlic bread on the side and a big green salad. Weeknight dinner perfection, and yet elevated enough for a special occasion!
Bonus? This is a white fish recipe that not only tastes great, but is simple enough for the whole family to enjoy. Yep, even our kiddos love this one! Who doesn’t love fish with Ritz crackers?!
And totally optional, you absolutely do not need tartar sauce with this — it’s got a lot of butter and is moist, tender, and melty in all the best ways! — but if you want, we have an amazing tartar sauce recipe! We love Duke’s mayonnaise for this.
Tips For The Best Baked Cod Fillets
- Don’t overcook! Nobody wants dry, chewy fish. If baking fish in a single layer, begin checking it at 12 minutes. If it overlaps (which is A okay!), check at 15 minutes. You want to make sure the fish flakes easily and is tender and impossibly moist. Yum!
- Don’t skip the lemon zest! It adds a real brightness to the baked fish.
- Please don’t cut back on the butter or oil. You want to make sure that (1) the white fish doesn’t stick to the baking dish, but also (2) it adds a great flavor, crisps up the breadcrumbs, and tastes amazing.
- Substitutions to make gluten-free: instead of Ritz crackers and panko, use a full cup of gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. Tons of great options available!
- Can be assembled up to 1 day in advance. We recommend keeping the prepared panko breadcrumbs separate from the cod fish until ready to bake.
Ritz crackers, parmesan and panko crusted cod — even just thinking about it has us drooling. You will not believe how these simple ingredients combine to make such a decadent, tender fish. We can’t wait for you to try this!
If you make this crispy Baked Cod recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
Our Remaining 2021 Feast Of The Seven Fishes Menu:
- Salmon Rillettes
- Crab Stuffed Shrimp
- Moules Marinières
- Broiled Scallops With Garlic Butter Sauce
- Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Beurre Blanc
- Baked Crab Legs
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
More seafood recipes to try!
- Slow Baked Salmon
- Grilled Swordfish Skewers
- Old Bay Shrimp
- Spaghetti alle Vongole
- Grilled Halibut with Charred Scallion Sauce
- Pan Seared Scallops
*This post was sponsored by the Norwegian Seafood Council. All opinions are my own. I only support and promote brands that I believe in and use in my own kitchen – I hope you’ll check them out! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Well Seasoned possible.
Tender Baked Cod With Panko and Ritz Crackers
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Norwegian cod fillets about 2 – 2 ½ lbs
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup panko breadrumbs
- ½ cup Ritz cracker crumbs about 12 crackers, finely ground
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 Tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped, about 2 Tbsp
- 1 tsp lemon zest about 1 lemon (cut the lemon into wedges for serving)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Prepare the cod fillets. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut cod fillets into 2" pieces. Coat the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Place the cod on top (it's okay if it overlaps), then season with 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Make the breadcrumb topping. In a large mixing bowl, combine ½ cup panko, ½ cup Ritz cracker crumbs, 3 Tbsp chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, chopped garlic, and lemon zest. Stir with a fork to combine, then drizzle on 2 Tbsp melted butter. Mix until well incorporated.
- Bake the cod. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly on top of the cod pieces. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then bake for 12-15 minutes (if fish was in a single layer) or 15-18 minutes (if fish was overlapping a bit). Cod is fully cooked when an internal temperature of 145 F has been reached.
- Garnish, then serve. Serve baked cod with additional parsley, if desired, and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Can be assembled up to 1 day in advance. We recommend keeping the prepared panko breadcrumbs separate from the cod fish until ready to bake.
Hi there! Do you think you can omit the cheese or sub nutritional yeast instead?
Hi Marina! I haven’t tried it without cheese, but I do think nutritional yeast would work and add a decent umami flavor. If you give it a try, please report back and respond to the comment so other readers know how it turned out for you. Thanks! xo, Ari
The panko topping is amazing!! This is my new favourite way to make cod 😊 thanks so much!
Isn’t it, though?! I think it’s such a simple, but approachable way to cook and enjoy cod! Yay! xo, Ari
I followed recipe exactly and it was delicious! This one is a keeper, the fish was so light and flaky with added texture of the bread crumbs mixture. The family loved it!
Denise, I am SO happy to hear this!! It’s totally a light, flaky dish and doesn’t it come together quickly? A family favorite, for sure! xo, Ari
This looks delicious, can’t wait to try!
Thanks, Jenny! Loved by the whole fam over here! xo, Ari