Oven Baked (or Roasted) Cod with Feta, Lemon and Dill on Spinach is quick and easy to prepare, delicious and beautiful on the plate. What more could you ask for? Well, it’s healthy, too!
Baked Fish with Spinach and Cheese
I love this easy baked fish recipe because it’s full of delicious flavors – and naturally healthy, too. A bold, tangy, slightly salty topping pairs perfectly with mild cod fillets, and a sautéed spinach mixture provides more amazing flavors as well as texture. The resulting dish is the perfect combination of an epicurean delight with quick and easy preparation!
Ingredients for Baked Cod with Lemon and Dill
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delectable dish:
- Cod fillets
- Lemon-flavored (or regular) olive oil
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Lemon
- Fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Fresh baby spinach
- Italian-flavored breadcrumbs, preferably Panko
- Dried red pepper flakes, optional
How to Bake Lemon Dill Cod
This baked cod and spinach only take around 10 minutes to prepare, then 10 minutes to cook, so you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less. Yay! Great for those super busy weekdays. Here are the steps:
- Prep oven and baking dish.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9 by 12-inch baking dish with parchment paper. - Prep cod and topping.
Place cod fillet(s) in prepared dish and brush with lemon olive oil. Evenly sprinkle feta cheese, lemon zest and dill on top. - Roast fish.
Roast in the oven, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes per 1-inch of thickness (at its thickest point), until opaque and just cooked through. - Broil top.
Switch the heat to broil and broil for 2 minutes to melt and lightly brown some of the cheese. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn! - While fish is cooking, prepare spinach mixture.
In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat 2 teaspoons regular extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic and around half of the spinach. Cook, stirring, just until the spinach is wilted. Add remaining spinach and continue to cook, stirring, just until wilted. - Finish spinach off heat.
Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and red pepper flakes (if using); season to taste with salt and pepper. - Plate and serve.
Divide cooked spinach among four serving plates. Top with cod fillet. Serve immediately.
How Long to Bake Cod at 425
The general guideline for baking virtually any fish is 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness (at its thickest point). If it has a topping or bread coating, then it can take longer – around 10 to 12 minutes total cook time.
Is it better to bake fish covered or uncovered?
It depends completely on the recipe. For fish that has a topping or coating (like breadcrumbs), most often you will want that topping/coating to crisp up, which means you should bake it with the fish uncovered. There are other recipes where the fish may stay more moist if covered. (Note: the standard in professional recipe writing is, if the recipe doesn’t specify covered or uncovered, you should assume it will be cooked uncovered.)
How to Tell When Oven Baked Cod is Done
Fish is done when the internal temperature in the middle of the thickest part reaches 135 to 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer. It will keep cooking after you take it out of the oven, so let it rest for around 5 minutes before serving. For cod it will be tender, opaque and flaky.
Baked Cod FAQ
Yes, you can use frozen cod in this recipe. I would thaw it first, and dry it on paper towel before proceeding
Definitely! Ask your fishmonger for suggested substitutions based on what they have available. To help, here is a list of fish that fall into the same category, based on the fact they are also lean with mild flavor:
– Striped bass
– Haddock
– Flounder
– Halibut (Californian not Atlantic, as the latter is endangered)
– Lingcod
– Perch
– Pike
– Rockfish
– Snapper
– Tilapia
Definitely don’t flip the fish, especially with this recipe that calls for a topping.
It really depends on the recipe and how the cod is prepared. For this recipe, it’s baked at 425 degrees.
Storing and Reheating Baked Cod with Dill
Store leftover baked cod in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a 275 to 325 degree oven for around 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through. If you reheat it covered with foil, the fish is less likely to dry out, but your topping may be less crispy. If you reheat it uncovered, the topping will stay crispy but the fish might dry out a bit. Your choice!
Serving Suggestions for Cod with Spinach
For a busy day dinner, I like to serve this quick and easy dish with one of the following:
- Quinoa and brown rice mix (Seeds of Change is my preferred brand)
- Lemon rice
- Roasted potatoes (in my cookbook “A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®)
- Steamed potatoes
- Grilled potatoes
- Barley Pilaf (in my cookbook “Fresh Tastes”)
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More Favorites from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen
Baked Lemon Dill Cod with Spinach
A naturally healthy main dish that is quick and easy to prepare, full of flavor and colorful on the plate.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) individual cod fillets or 1 (1 1/2-pound) whole fillet
- 1 tablespoon lemon-flavored (or regular) olive oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing baking dish
- 5 large green onions, chopped (white, light green and some dark green part)
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, or more to taste – can also use shallots
- 15 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs, preferably Panko
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9 by 12-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place cod fillet(s) in prepared dish and brush with lemon olive oil. Evenly sprinkle feta cheese, lemon zest and dill on top.
- Roast in the oven, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes per 1-inch of thickness (at its thickest point), until opaque and just cooked through.
- Switch the heat to broil and broil for 2 minutes to melt and lightly brown some of the cheese. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn!
- While the fish is cooking, in a large sauté pan or skillet, heat 2 teaspoons regular extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic and around half of the spinach. Cook, stirring, just until the spinach is wilted. Add remaining spinach and continue to cook, stirring, just until wilted.
- Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and red pepper flakes (if using); season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide cooked spinach among four serving plates. Top with cod fillet. Serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs.
Make ahead: fish can be prepared but not baked earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Tip: Check out my tips for buying and storing fresh fish!
- Category: Main dish, healthy, quick and easy
- Method: Roasting
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fillet
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 715.3 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 30.7 g
- Cholesterol: 86.2 mg
I was skeptic but given that I had to make the cod and I had all the ingredients on hand I gave this recipe a shot. I am so glad I did!!! It was awesome. All the flavors came together just right. This will be a go to for any light fish fillets I come across ?
★★★★★
Oops. I meant to hit exclamation instead of ? Hope it can get fixed. Still a wonderful recipe!
Got it! Thanks.
Thanks Kerstin – I’m so glad you liked my recipe.
This was sooo good and easy to make, will definitely do again!
★★★★★
Thank you Libby! I’m pleased to hear you liked my recipe.
This came out nicely. I added some Calvados to the spinach sauté. I did not have any scallions so I used chives from my garden at the ratio of 3 tablespoons per scallion, which worked well. I also did not have lemon zest so I added some sliced tomato on the fish before baking to add a little zing. It was fantastic!
★★★★
Love your modifications! Sounds delicious.