This Cod with Spring Vegetables on a Sheet Pan. Bright cherry tomatoes, a lemon butter drizzle, and sweet, delicate Cod go along beautifully. This recipe is ideal for a weekday dinner because it only requires one skillet and greatly reduces cleanup time. All of those criteria are satisfied, and then some by this simple baked cod recipe.
It’s quick to prepare, has a rainbow of spring vegetables, and produces wonderfully cooked flaky fish. It has become one of our new go-to sheet pan meals, especially when paired with polenta, roasted potatoes, or lemon risotto.
Fish and vegetables are baked on a sheet pan. A tasty, healthy, and simple sheet pan dinner is made using white fish that is in season with lemon and garlic seasoning. It is then cooked over a bed of sliced potatoes, snow peas, spinach, and zucchini. We mix the vegetables with lemon zest, lemon slices, fresh garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley for waves of flavor.
The seafood counter’s freshest fish can be used as the fish. I frequently make this recipe with Cod or halibut. The cod fillets are then set aside, salted and peppered, and covered with vegetables to retain moisture and produce exquisitely flaky fish.
Cod as Food
Popular as a mildly flavored meal with white, thick, flaky meat, Cod is also known. Cod is a round fish that lives in cold / salt water and is generally wild-caught but can also be farmed. The majority of Cod is caught in the North East Atlantic. Regarding seasonality, Cod tends to be available all year round from the North East Atlantic but will be more abundant in the Autumn and Winter months.
Smaller Cod is known as Codling. Compared to fish like mackerel, codfish have flesh that is of a medium texture and less oil. It has a mild flavor. Cod is typically offered in fillet form for sale. Haddock, Pollock, or coley are suitable replacement species with similar texture and flavor to Cod.
How to Make Sheet Pan Cod with Spring Vegetables?
Instead of snow peas in the summer, mixed bell peppers make a great substitute. You only need to thinly slice a zucchini, mince some garlic, peel some lemon, and add snow peas, spinach, and tiny potatoes. They are layered on a sheet pan, baked, and then served.
The vegetables are first placed on the baking sheet. We adore using a red onion, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers. The red onion is kept because it naturally contributes sweetness, and the kalamata olives are kept because they add monounsaturated fat and a nice saltiness.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- One medium yellow or orange bell pepper, finely sliced
- One tablespoon of lemon zest (one lemon yields one tablespoon of zest).
- One medium lemon, finely sliced
- Trimmed and divided into 1-inch pieces, one bunch of asparagus (thin stems are preferable). In general, one bunch produces 1 pound (453 g).
- One medium red onion, sliced thinly in half (one medium onion makes about one cup of sliced onions)
- Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Three big, minced garlic cloves
- Two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
- Four fish fillets (4-6 ounces) (four fillets yield one and a half pounds)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup serving size of whole kalamata olives
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and prepare a large baking sheet (204 degrees C).
- After zesting the lemon, cut the other half of the fruit into thin slices (you should obtain around 1 Tbsp of lemon zest). Save the other half for a different purpose.
- The asparagus, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, olives, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon slices, garlic, and parsley should all be added to the baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer, leaving room for the fish fillets, and toss to coat.
- Place the fish on the baking sheet after patting it dry. Place some vegetables on top of the fish fillets after seasoning them with salt and pepper.
- Fish should be baked for 15 to 18 minutes or until it flakes easily and reaches a temperature of 145 degrees F. (63 C).
- Remove from the oven, if desired, and top with more parsley. Combined with the fish is the side dish. When served with our lemon risotto, polenta, or roasted potatoes, it is exceptionally delightful. Try serving with our Easy Green Goddess Dressing for a fiery finishing touch.
- Fresh is best. Unsuitable for freezers. Up to two days’ worth of leftovers can be stored in a tightly closed refrigerator.
What does Cod Taste Like?
Cod is renowned for its mild, nearly milky flavor and hard, flaky texture. It strongly smells fishy. According to some connoisseurs, Atlantic fish is sweeter and more tender than Pacific cod, which is firmer and more flavorful. White fish, such as tilapia, halibut, grouper, and Cod, have mild flavors but occasionally have delicate, sweet, buttery tastes.
We like these fish as possibilities for seafood newbies because of this. It almost has a chicken flavor and is less fishy in flavor. Some contend that Pacific cod is more flavorful and firm, while Atlantic cod is sweeter and milder. Cod makes a fantastic starter fish since it can be prepared with a wide range of flavorings, from citrus to seasonings that have been blackened. You can steam, sauté, bake, or broil Cod.
What is the Ideal Cooking Time for Cod?
In a 400-degree oven, Cod cooks quite quickly. Depending on the thickness of your fish, it should only take 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated oven. Expect the fish to cook in a 350° oven for 25–30 minutes and a 375° oven for 13–20 minutes. Top side down, add each Cod piece to the pan of canola oil. For three to four minutes, sear without moving.
After carefully flipping the fish over, place the pan in the oven. Test your fish for doneness by gently twisting it at an angle with a fork at the thickest part of it. When the fish is finished, it flakes easily and loses its translucent or raw aspect. Cooking fish to an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees is a decent general rule of thumb.
Can You Eat Raw Cod?
Eating raw fish is technically possible but extremely dangerous for humans. Consuming raw Cod is not recommended. Cod is much improved by cooking because it has a dense, watery texture that many people do not find tasty when consumed raw. This is so that Cod, which occasionally has parasites, can be consumed because heating kills the parasites.
Even though most of us are used to eating cooked fish, some varieties may be consumed raw. Popular foods like sashimi and sushi are based on this unique sensory experience regarding taste and feel.
Raw Cod is not a food that should be taken since it may carry a parasite that is hazardous to human health. Food safety regulators advise boiling Cod before eating it, even though this parasite, a type of roundworm, is not present in all Cod. If consumed, these parasites can cause nausea, other digestive problems, and stomach pain. The symptoms are quite similar to those of food poisoning and equally uncomfortable.
Is Cod Fish Healthy for You?
Cod is a high-protein, low-fat food that is a great option for anyone looking to cut back on fat and strengthen their heart. It contains many omega-3 fatty acids, just like conventional fish oil, which has been associated with several health advantages, including lowered blood pressure and reduced inflammation.
It contains many omega-3 fatty acids, just like conventional fish oil, which has been associated with several health advantages, including lowered blood pressure and reduced inflammation. Iodine, a vital mineral for thyroid health, is also in substantial quantities in Cod. Iodine supports the thyroid’s ability to govern hormones that influence the body’s metabolism and cognitive function. Iodine deficiency, birth abnormalities, and hypothyroidism symptoms can all be avoided by eating adequate IodineIt also has vitamins A and D, and both have a variety of other health advantages.
Cod offers substantial health advantages thanks to its vitamins, minerals, and good fats. It contains a lot of vitamin B12, a crucial component of your body’s nerves and blood cells. By maintaining the health of your red blood cells, vitamin B12 also helps prevent anemia. Some people who consume a lot of plants in their diets may discover that taking vitamin B12 increases their energy levels.
Regularly consuming fish like Cod can help keep your brain healthy as you age. According to one study, consuming baked or broiled salmon at least once a week helps to slow down the grey matter loss that happens to our brains as we age. Although additional research is required, eating fish frequently may also be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
Conclusion
This baked cod sheet pan dinner is lovely, nutritious, and delectable. It’s a straightforward meal that is also low in carbs and gluten-free, using fresh vegetables like asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Additionally, it’s really simple to prepare and clean up, making it ideal for a weekday dinner. Everything had a great flavor. The asparagus and fish were delicious. Extremely quick and simple to prepare.
Make sure to pat the fillets of fish dry. If you don’t, they might drench the vegetables below. You may do this by chopping off the bottom 1 to 1.5 inches, or you can snap off either end because the asparagus usually snaps off when it first becomes sensitive. While fillets typically contain fewer bones than other cuts, this is something to keep in mind. It’s a sheet pan supper, which is fantastic because cleaning up is so easy! It’s very airy, vibrant, healthy, and fresh.
