37 Cod Recipes to Keep Your Seafood Dinners Interesting
Even though salmon is often the most talked-about fish in the room, these cod recipes can’t be beat. The meaty, flaky, and firm fish holds up in creamy chowders, is versatile enough to star in aromatic quick braises like brothy coconut-mustard fish, and stands up to the heat of the oil in pan-fried fish sandwiches. Perhaps the reason it works so well in a whole gamut of preparations is that it’s a mild non-fishy fish. Did we mention that it’s affordable? And easy enough for weeknight dinner? And that we have healthy recipes? Yeah, you’re going to want to take a look at these 31 awesome cod recipes already.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks1/37Cod Arracanato
This cod recipe is great for a weeknight meal served with rice, but it fancies up well if you want to pair it with something like Parmesan-braised greens at a weekend get-together. You can use Italian-style or panko breadcrumbs for the raisin-and-nut-studded topping.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton2/37Turmeric Caramel Cod
If you’ve ever found cod fillets too plain or bland, this sticky, savory, and sweet condiment inspired by Vietnamese fish sauce caramel is your new best friend. Once you douse a simple pan-seared piece of fish with the stuff, you’ll want to spoon it on just about everything.
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio3/37Spiced-Tomato-Braised Fish
When cooked with lots of warm spices such as cumin and garam masala, store-bought tomato purée packs tons of flavor into a simple, cozy (but quick) braise.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown5/37Brothy Coconut-Mustard Fish
This recipe is inspired by the flavors of Bengali ilish bhapa: Canned coconut milk + bottled mustard = an exquisitely simple sauce for any flaky white fish.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime8/37Cod With Scallion-Sesame Butter
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani9/37Turmeric Fish with Rice Noodles and Herbs
This delicious recipe is inspired by the Vietnamese dish, cha ca la vong. In Hanoi, where the dish originates, the fish is usually cooked tableside. Here, the fish is seared hot and fast in a skillet with ginger, dill, and more, and then served over noodles with a bright, savory sauce and crunchy peanuts.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen10/37Slow-Cooked White Fish with Charred Cabbage
Let the cabbage leaves char in the hot pan before you season them or start tossing things around—too much movement and they’ll steam before they develop color.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco11/37Fried Fish Sandwiches with Cucumbers and Tartar Sauce
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Emily Eisen13/37Skillet Cod, Clams, and Corn with Parsley
Who says clams are only good for pasta? In this seafood recipe, you’ll spoon the briny shellfish over cod, along with sweet summer corn in a butter sauce.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski15/37Flaky Cod with Celery Salad
The garlic-curry crisp in this baked fish recipe is your new secret weapon—the crunchy topping can embellish most other proteins, like braised chicken or roasted vegetables. The ginger is equally important—peel and finely grate it for the strongest flavor.
Photo and Food Styling by Paul Wang18/37Maeuntang
This fiery seafood stew gets a big burst of savory flavor from dried anchovies and doenjang, an assertive Korean fermented bean paste that's comparable to miso.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson, Food Styling by Frances Boswell, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson20/37Roast Fish with Curry Butter
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li21/37Poached Cod in Tomato Curry
We opted to use cherry tomatoes for this poached cod recipe because we like their sweetness and how quickly they collapse into a sauce. Unsweetened coconut milk gives this quick-cooking dinner a complexity like it’s been simmering for hours.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio22/37Za’atar Fish and Chips
Olives and superfast pickled onions balance out creamy-crispy potatoes and roast cod. After making this gluten-free riff on fish and chips, you’ll want to sprinkle za’atar on absolutely everything.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Anderson, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka23/37Brothy Seafood Chowder
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li24/37Cod with Romesco Sauce, Hazelnuts, Lemon, and Parsley
Charring then steaming the peppers in this Mediterranean-inspired recipe ensures that the romesco will reach a saucy, juicy consistency. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, make the romesco sauce by pulsing in a food processor.
Alex Lau27/37Poached Cod with Potatoes and Leeks
Don't try subbing out the whole milk for anything lighter—this easy hug-of-a-dish needs that richness to feel truly satisfying. That full-fat dairy is especially adept at pulling out the essence of the herbs and aromatics that go into the broth.
Photo by David Malosh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Cindy Diprima28/37Coconut Cod Chowder With Seasoned Oyster Crackers
Nicole Franzen31/37Green Posole with Cod and Cilantro
The lighter, herbier counterpart to porky posole rojo, this brothy stew with cod and cilantro was made for crisp nights.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott33/37Clam and Cod Chowder
Weeknight chowder? Use clam juice. Weekend? It’s worth making fish stock from scratch. This chowder gives you the option to use either because we could all use some flexibility in our lives.
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott, Food Styling by Alison Attenborough, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski37/37Slow-Roasted Cod with Bell Peppers
