Baked Cod

Step 1

Prepare: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 400 F. Pat cod fillets dry using paper towels. Sprinkle salt over both sides of each fillet. Set aside.

Step 2

Make Sauce: In an oven-safe pan (Note 4), melt butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, less than a minute. Stir in minced garlic until aromatic and starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add white wine and lemon juice to the pan. They should immediately start to simmer. Briefly stir, then turn off the heat.

Step 3

Add Cod: In a mixing bowl, stir parmesan cheese with paprika until well-mixed. Place cod fillets side-by-side in the pan, over sauce. Generously spoon parmesan mix over the top of fillets in the pan, using a spoon to spread it out until evenly distributed over fillets. It’s fine if some parmesan falls off fillets because it’ll become part of sauce.

Step 4

Bake: Once the oven has heated to 400 F, transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until cod fillets are cooked through (easily flaked with a fork), 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 5

Serve: Carefully transfer only cod fillets to serving plates, using a spatula to avoid disrupting parmesan topping. Stir together remaining liquid in the pan, optionally boiling over medium-high heat for a minute to thicken sauce, and drizzle sauce over cod. Sprinkle parsley on top, and serve while hot (Note 5).