Pesto Baked Cod

Name: Pesto Baked Cod
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 cod fillets (about 6 oz each), patted dry; 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 lemon lemon, cut into wedges; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves

Flaky cod fillets topped with a vibrant basil pesto crust and baked until golden, served with lemon wedges. A light, elegant weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.

25 minEasyServes 4320 cal/serving

ItalianDinnerOvenKetoLow CarbPescatarianHigh ProteinGluten-FreeEgg-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeAlcohol-FreeCorn-Free

Ingredients

4 cod fillets (about 6 oz each), patted dry
1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon lemon, cut into wedges
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tbsp olive oil.
2

Arrange 4 patted dry cod fillets (about 6 oz each) on the prepared baking sheet. Season both sides with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
3

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of each fillet.
4

Scatter 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes around the fish on the baking sheet.
5

Bake until the pesto crust is golden and the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C), about 12-15 minutes depending on thickness.
6

Garnish with 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves and serve with 1 lemon cut into wedges lemon on the side.

Questions

Can I make Pesto Baked Cod dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in this entry is 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Swap the cheese for a plant-based melting cheese (expect a milder flavor). The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

How long does Pesto Baked Cod keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days (seafood turns fast). Reheat covered in a 300 F oven until warmed through.

Can I halve or double Pesto Baked Cod?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. Doubled, split it across two pans and rotate them halfway; one crowded pan bakes unevenly.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,512 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.