When it comes to easy, impressive seafood dinners, it’s hard to imagine anything better than a dish where you literally pile all the ingredients on top of each other and then bake it. That’s essentially what my Mediterranean Baked Cod is. And it is good!
A beautiful piece of cod or a few smaller fillets are topped with fresh tomatoes, black and green olives, garlic, onion, oregano, and olive oil. Add some fresh lemon zest to brighten up the flavors, and you’ve got yourself one flavorful weeknight dinner. It’s no surprise this Mediterranean baked cod is so popular!
If you love the simplicity of this recipe, give my crispy Parmesan-crusted cod, tender and flaky baked cod with ritz crackers, or this miso-marinated cod a try next. Or check out all of my restaurant-worthy seafood dinner ideas!
Quick Ingredient Notes
Any flaky white fish would be great in this recipe, so if you don’t have access to cod, try it with haddock, hake, black sea bass, or pollock.
And the sky’s the limit when it comes to the Mediterranean relish on top! I’ve made this recipe dozens of times for my family, adding additional ingredients based on what I have on hand. A few of my favorite iterations included sun-dried tomatoes, jarred artichoke hearts, and even some feta cheese on top once the fish has cooked. (Don’t knock seafood and cheese until you try it!).
If using frozen cod fillets, be sure to thaw them overnight in a fridge, then pat dry with paper towels before cooking.
How To Select A Piece Of Cod
- Color: The fish should be white with no darkened areas. If you see specks of white (as shown below) that is residual skin from where the fish monger cut the skin off.
- Smell: The fillets should smell clean. There should not be a fishy scent to them.
- Texture: Cod should be firm, but not look overly dry.
Use fresh cod within 2 days of bringing home from the store. If freezing, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Defrost or thaw overnight before cooking.
Quick Assembly
Note that the internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests. Serve immediately with chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
Serving Suggestions
I love oven-baked cod with potatoes (sometimes mashed potatoes, sometimes crispy roasted potatoes), over rice, or simply with baguette for enjoying leftover relish. If you want a more substantial vegetable side dish, try one of the following:
- pan-seared and blistered green beans
- oven-roasted broccolini or tender-crisp roasted broccoli
- crispy roasted Brussels sprouts or an Italian chopped Brussels sprouts salad
- warm green bean salad with potatoes, red onion, and feta cheese
Another incredible weeknight cod recipe is my oven-roasted cod with white wine and butter. It’s even quicker because there’s less chopping!
Wine Pairings!
I love pairing light seafood dishes with a glass of bright, acidic Loire Valley Sancerre (aka: French Sauvignon Blanc). A Provence style rosé is also always welcome!
For a red wine that won’t overwhelm the tomatoes and olives, go with a light to medium-bodied Pinot Noir.
Be sure to save this quick-and-easy baked Mediterranean cod recipe for when you want a low effort, restaurant-worthy seafood dinner at home. I can’t wait to hear what you think! Don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and review below.
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Tender, Flaky Mediterranean Baked Cod Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cod fillets, either one large or 4-6 individual fillets
- 1½ tsp Kosher salt, divided
- ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium lemon, zested, plus another if you want to slice them into rounds
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, about 1½-2 cups
- 1½ cups Kalamata olives, or Castelvetrano olives, or a mix of the two, pitted and halved
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Fresh parsley, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Season the cod fillet. Preheat an oven to 425°F (218°C). Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then season on both sides with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place the seasoned fillet inside a baking dish, then drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle on the reserved lemon zest.
- Make the tomato and olive relish. In a medium bowl, combine halved tomatoes, olives, thinly sliced red onion, and garlic cloves. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, then season with 1 tsp dried oregano and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Toss well, then pour on top of the cod.
- Bake the cod. Bake the fish for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches around 140°F (60°C) — this temperature will continue to rise as it rests. Serve immediately with fresh parsley and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- Leftovers: Cooked seafood has a shorter shelf life than meat or poultry. We recommend enjoying within 3 days. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cod: If you can’t find cod, try using haddock, hake, sea bass, or pollock.
Sounds amazing!! Can I prep entire dish and keep in fridge for a couple hours before cooking??
Yes, absolutely! Just let it sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes before baking to ensure the cook time is accurate. Otherwise, you might have to leave it in the oven a few minutes longer. Enjoy! xo, Ari
What side dishes would you serve to complement the cod? I have a couple ideas, but if anyone that has made this has found the perfect running buddy for the cod, I’dappreciate the help.
Thank you in advance…
Hi Jeff! The easiest side dish is probably steamed rice (or another grain). If you’re wanting something a bit more interesting, but still filling, I’d do a quick white bean salad that could be enjoyed cold. I love pairing hot and cold together. Lastly, this is photographed with blistered string beans (you can use the French haricot verts or standard green beans) and it is one of the easiest and most versatile side dishes. Pairs perfectly if you want a green veggie. Hope this helps and of course I’d love for readers to chime in with their favorite side dishes too! Cheers, Ari
This was delicious. I did brown the relish for 25 minutes first then added the fish and baked it for 20 minutes longer, adding some crumbled feta for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Nice dish for company! Thank you for the recipe!
Feta sounds like a fantastic addition! Yum! xo, Ari
Let me start off by saying that I’m NOT a big fish lover, that being said….this dish was deeeelicious! The flavor combination of the olives, garlic, lemon & onions really did some amazing things to the cod. I could still taste the cod & was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it! The only addition I made was adding crushed red pepper flakes to the tomato & olive relish for some heat.
Meant to give it 5 stars but my dang fingers slipped lol
Love this feedback, thank you so much! Bet the red pepper flakes added a nice little heat! xo, Ari
This is without a doubt one of the all time great fish recipes. My friends and family ask for it regularly. I use halibut because that’s what I have in my freezer. Please try this recipe!!!
I’m so glad to hear this, Carol! Thank you for the feedback! xo, Ari
Made this as written and will be making it in our regular rotation! Simple to prepare and very tasty!
Thanks so much, Susan! xo, Ari
Hi! This was amazing with cod! What are your thoughts if I did this with chicken thighs?!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ashley! A lot of folks have asked me about trying this with chicken thighs or chicken breasts. I’ve yet to try it, but others have had great success. The cook time would be significantly different (chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 165F internal temperature, you can use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness). My suggestion would be to brown the chicken thighs on a stove top in a pan with a little oil first to get some color on them (and also reduce cook time in the oven), but again, I have not tested this. xo, Ari
I made this recipe I found on Instagram. My family of 4 loved it. My daughter doesn’t like fish but she loved this recipe. I made it with Jasmine and cilantro rice and avocado. I’ll make this recipe again and again for sure.
Thanks so much, Cynthia! Love that you used Jasmine rice, I’m going to try that next time! xo, Ari
This is so delicious I was dancing in the kitchen eating it before I could even put it on my plate! LOL That’s not even a joke…also, my husband & kids(7&9) LOVED it! They all had seconds!
I added sweet mini peppers & feta to mine as well, just because! I didn’t have lemon slices, but I did use lemon juice! Mmm, mmm, MMM! Thank you for the recipe!!
Yesss!! Love to hear this! Hope you make it again for years to come. Best, Ari
Great meal idea
Thanks, Kendra! xo, Ari
I made this tonight and my family of 7 all LOVED it! They want it to be a regular meal in our house. Thank you for sharing.
So thrilled to hear this! It’s truly so simple and delicious! xo, Ari
This dish was amazing. Super easy preparation. My wife was over the moon . Plus when plating it looks beautiful. I added capers to it. Then placed Feta on top when plated.
So glad you enjoyed, Sean! Love the idea of capers and feta. Yum! xo, Ari
Delicious. I added spinach at the end and served over couscous. Great week night dinner or for entertaining. Healthy and very tasty.
Serving over couscous sounds perfect. Thanks, Lisa! xo, Ari
So flavorful, colorful, & simple! I’ve made it 3 times so far for family & friends. It’s been a mouth-watering hit each time!
Thank you, Beth! It doesn’t get much easier than this, right?! xo, Ari
So fresh & light!!! Literally took less than 30 minutes to make including prep! Highly recommend. I also added cucumbers to the relish, so yummy!!
How good does this look?! Absolutely beautiful! Love the addition of cucumbers. xo, Ari
Healthy food fast! Such a flavourful dish and made in under 30 minutes. This is one of my rotation recipes for busy work weeks! We love this recipe!
Isn’t that the best?! This one is such a winner. Thanks, Lisa! xo, Ari
This is my favorite dish to make! So easy to prepare and so full of flavor. It’s definitely made the regular rotation in our house!
Yay! Thanks, Jacquelyn, we love this one too! xo, Ari
Excellent recipe! Made it a number of times and everyone loves it.
Thanks, Craig! This one continues to be a fan favorite — and it’s just so easy to make! xo, Ari
This recipe was amazing!! I layered the bottom of the dish with mixed olives and feta. Then, followed the rest of the recipe. I also used Avocado oil instead of olive oil. The flavors were all perfectly paired together!! We loved this recipe!! Thank you so much.
We did struggle with Foil or no foil?? We started with foul then removed it.
Thank you for the feedback, Stephanie! No foil necessary, but seems you figured that out. So glad you enjoyed! xo, Ari
This was delicious, and easy to prepare.
Okay YUM! This looks fantastic, Julia! Cheers, Ari
I made this recipe because I want to try healtheir recipes, I’m not a big fan of olives or tomatoes but read the comments and thought I would try it, knew my husband would love it. I was really surprised by how much I loved this dish, a lot of flavor (I added more garlic and feta) and made it with rice. This is definitely a keeper, enjoyed the fresh flavors!!!
This is so great to hear, Sandy! Love this one so much. Cheers, Ari
This was so delicious! I had yet to find a cod recipe to make at home that I liked. This was so flavorful and we all loved it ! Will definitely make again. I think I will add capers next time too!
Thanks, Tracy! I really love how quickly this comes together, and that relish just adds so much flavor. Cheers, Ari