Parmesan Baked Cod Recipe
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If you’re wondering how to make fast and easy delicious fish that tastes just like the restaurants make it, then this is the Parmesan Baked Cod recipe for you! Out of all the cod recipes you could try, this one stands out for being creamy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned. The blend of textures and flavors is spot on, and the best part? It’s ready in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Fish – I used cod because I love its mild flavor, but a lot of my readers have used other fish (any mild white fish like halibut or tilapia, etc.) for this recipe with stellar results.
- Mayonnaise – Adds richness and keeps the fish moist. If you’re not a fan of mayo, you can swap it with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- Seasonings and Herbs – This includes, salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, and basil. Fresh is best!
- Parmigiano Reggiano – For best results use freshly grated cheese.

How to Make This Cod Recipe
All you need is a few simple ingredients, fresh cod fish and 20 minutes of your time to get restaurant quality fish. For full recipe details, including the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Sheet Pan
Preheat oven to 450° F + line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Step 2: Prep Cod

place fish fillets onto the prepared baking sheet pan and blot any excess liquid off with paper towels
Step 3: Make the Parmesan Mixture

stir mayo together with parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, salt + pepper

spread evenly over the top of the fish fillets
Step 4: Bake + Broil

Bake 10-12 minutes or until fish starts looking opaque and will flake. Switch oven to broiler and brown the tops of the fish until lightly golden brown, watching it carefully.
Pro Tip: I find fish, in general, bakes best at a high temperature for a shorter period of time. I recommend baking at 450° F for 10-12 minutes or until just baked. You are looking for the internal temperature of the fish to be 145° F.
Of course the time will vary slightly based on how thick your piece of fish is and how hot your oven runs, but this is a great guideline. Believe it or not, the fish stays unbelievably moist, tender and flaky, plus has this buttery, cheesy, herby slightly crispy crust. Remove from oven and serve with some fresh lemon juice squeezed over your fillet. If you like tartar sauce, try my Homemade Tartar Sauce. It takes this dish to another level!

Side Dishes for Parmesan Baked Cod
Need help thinking up side dishes to go with this Baked Cod recipe? I’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorites.
- Butter Rice – Famous for a reason, this buttery classic pairs perfectly with flaky baked cod.
- Oven Roasted Asparagus – Light and crisp, balances the richness of the fish.
- Asian Slaw Recipe with Peanuts – Fresh crunch with a nutty kick.
- Pan Fried Potatoes – Crispy edges, tender centers, always a crowd-pleaser.
- 30+ Side Dishes for Cod – A full roundup if you want even more ideas of what to serve with cod recipes.

If you’re looking for a stellar meal, this parmesan baked cod is a good one! It makes for an easy weeknight meal and is very flavorful! The printable recipe card is below! Have a good one, friends! 🙂

Cod Fish Recipe in Oven
Ingredients
- 2 lb cod fillets
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoons basil fresh, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Place fish fillets onto the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir mayonnaise together with cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. Spread evenly over the top of the fillets.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until fish starts looking opaque and will flake.
- Switch oven to broiler and brown the tops of the fish until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: Mix the topping up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge. Spread it on right before baking.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in the oven at 350° F until warmed through.
- Freezing: Not ideal, since the mayo-Parmesan topping can separate. If you want to freeze cod, do so before topping and baking.
Nutrition
Other Fish Recipes To Try
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Asian Baked Salmon
- Baked Fish Tacos Recipe
- Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Sushi Bake Recipe
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.




5 out of 6 of my family members gave it a thumbs up. That basically a domestic miracle. Thank you!
Easy and very tasty!
My family loved this recipe, as is. Even my 14 yr old, who generally refuses to try anything new. The only thing I would alter for myself, due to severe radiation damage to my throat, would be to use regular parmesan cheese. The Parmigiano Reggio was too strong for me and burned my already irritated throat. Otherwise, the cod was delicious and unique. I will definitely be making it again and try an alternative cheese for my portion. Thank you for sharing!
This was great as well as theTarter Sauce recipe
Tasty but too much topping. Came out goopy.
We make this all the time! Cheese and fish do go together.
Made this fish. So delicious
Excellent easy and tasty dish. Will be great for serving to company as well! Will definitely make again.
This recipe was perfect for what I was looking for. It was simple, easy, and not complicated. The fish cooks nicely and the sauce to cook it in really added great flavor. I will make this again:
This fish tastes fantastic. Since we like it with some sauce, I made a change and add some white wine when the fish was half cooked, It came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
A very quick and delicious recipe now in regular rotation in our home, I use chopped basil from my garden
I didn’t use the basil but it was good!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was good! I ended up sprinkling some panko breadcrumbs on top which I do think it needed
Made this for my in-laws tonite & we all loved it. I thought 2 lbs was a lot for 4 people but I served it with oven roasted veggies & we ate it all! I wish I had taken a picture because mine looked better than yours!! Going into my file for sure! Thanks
Made this for my in-laws last night & they loved it!! Only served with roasted veggies & the 4 of us ate the full 2 lbs of fish!! Great for high protein/low carb dinner, and so easy!! Going in my file!!
so easy and delishous
Amazing! Just made this for Sunday lunch. Followed everything in the recipe except did not add salt or pepper. The fish was nice and moist inside with a lovely toasted cheese coating on the top. Very easy recipe to follow. I’ll be making this recipe regularly. Thank you!
Parchment paper under a broiler? Can’t it catch fire?
I made this and we loved it!
Made this today. My husband raved how moist the fish was. Will definitely add to my rotation. So easy to make and restaurant quality per the reviews. Thanks for making me a star.
I made this recipe with long cod last night. It was fantastic! Great fish recipe, my husband loved it.
So yummy. Great way to add some crispness without added carbs of breadcrumbs.
This recipe is great. I added dijon mustard to the mayo mixture because I thought it might add some extra zip. My bf hates fish,, but he was willing to try this and he ended up liking it very much.
Thanks!
Holy Mole, this was amazing. It had such a great flavor! On top of that, it was so easy to make~
Delicious!! and easy to prepare.
First time trying this and was delighted with the result! Always great to have simple recipes with simple ingredients that when combined greatly elevate the dish! This is one of those! Thank you.
I cooked it at 400 a didn’t do the broil cause it did brown by itself anwas super good a new way for meocook fish
Sadly, I just could not like this. I’m not huge on mayo but hoped after cooking & mixing it w/ fresh herbs (along with so many good reviews) it would turn out good. Sadly, the taste of mayo was just too much/strong for me to eat. So if you aren’t huge on mayo I would not recommend this recipe.
Could you use yogurt instead of mayo to cut the fat?
I’ve made something similar to this with halibut, but who can afford that fish these days? This was an awesome recipe. I was very disappointed to not have any leftovers! I had bought a package of the frozen Alaskan cod that has different sizes and thicknesses in the filets. I was afraid the thinner pieces would be dry by the time the thicker ones were cooked, but everything was perfect. I may buy the larger filet next time and section it myself for consistency in thickness, but it worked out fine with what I had. I used the convection setting on my oven, so no broiling was necessary. It browned nicely on top on that setting.
Amazing! Just as described; fast, easy, moist, flavorful. Best fish dinner I’ve ever made. I’ll be making it again for sure.
I wish the recipes were put in grams or ounces and well as cups, I do have a conversion table but it makes it really hard work and I am not always able to do it very well. Suzy
Suzy, just click the underlined word METRIC located directly under the ingredients list.
Thank you Lauren that is really helpful 🙂