If you are looking for a new fish recipe, you must try my cod with mustard sauce! Cod filets are smothered in a mixture of sour cream and two types of mustard, then baked in the oven till done. Juicy and flavourful. Even non-fish lovers will appreciate it!
Serve this delicious fish with my Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Apple Salad.
It seems that no matter how creative we get in order to serve balanced meals to our family we struggle to find fish recipes that our kids and sometimes partners will love. Salmon is an easier sell but cod is a bit too bland. Who is with me?
However, cod is readily available fresh or frozen. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals our bodies need. Cod is also relatively inexpensive. So many reasons to include it in your weekly shopping. All we need is a good recipe!
The one I am sharing today is inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe. I adapted it by using cod instead of red snapper and leeks instead of shallots as well as varying the baking method.
This is a truly gorgeous fish recipe. I believe that even fish haters might go along with this one.
As I mentioned above, cod has a very mild taste, and therefore needs a flavourful sauce to give it a bit of a lift. In short, it needs to be made more interesting. Here is where mustard comes in!
How do I make a sauce for cod?
Great news is that you can whip up a delicious sauce in a matter of minutes. The prep is minimal.
All you do is mix up full fat sour cream or creme fraiche, chopped leek, Dijon and whole grain mustard sauce with a tablespoon of capers.
How long do I bake cod in the oven?
Most fish cooks amazingly fast. It take mere minutes in the oven. That is why it’s such a great dinner option on a weeknight.
Cod fillets will only take 10 to 12 minutes of baking at 425F/210C plus 2 minutes of broiling for the sauce to get an appealing blistering on top. For extra thick fillets allow for 15 to 20 minutes of baking time.
Julia’s Tip
Make sure to pat your fish dry with paper towels before covering it with the mustard sauce. It will still release quite a bit of liquid as it bakes but this way you will reduce the amount of it.
Can I use frozen fish?
Absolutely. Using frozen cod is a delicious and economical way to get fish into your family! Just make sure you defrost it in a fridge, then pat dry with paper towels before covering with the sauce.
This baked cod recipe is a real winner. Tt pairs a delicate tasting fish with strong and bold flavours of mustard. The first bite reveals a perfectly cooked fish that is succulent and moist as it should be!
What should I serve with baked cod?
Fish goes so well with rice, potatoes or cauliflower rice if you are going low carb. The mustard sauce in this recipe is ideal for flavouring your side as well.
I served it with Herby Sweet Potato and Swede Mash and it was a beauty of a dinner. Simple, elegant, good enough to present to guests while light and healthy! Win!
Favourite Cod Recipes to Try
This recipe was originally published in 09/2015. Updated with new images and text in 03/2020.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cod pieces approximately 1.5 lbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup/ 200 ml sour cream or creme fraiche
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
- 1 leek white part only, minced
- 1 tbsp drained capers
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/210C.
- Butter a skiller or a shallow baking dish and arrange cod on it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix sour cream or creme fraiche, both mustards, chopped leek and capers in a medium bowl. Spoon the sauce over the fish, it should be covered in an even layer of sauce.
- Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Change your oven setting to broil/grill and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes until the sauce is slightly blistered. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
I often substitute sour cream for full fat Greek yogurt… do you feel this would work as well?
I haven’t tried it myself but I think it will work.
I bought fresh Tilapia today and used that instead of Cod. I didn’t have time to make creme fraiche so I used mayo. And I didn’t have leeks so I used scallions…and it was still delicious. Thank you!
Tilapia is one of my favourites, Nicole. I can how it would go so well in this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I do a lot of cooking and love to cook…but I have never hear of crime fraiche, can you tell me what it is ? Or how to make it….I live in Washington State and am not sure that I can buy the item here…thank you
Hi Becky, creme fraiche is a dairy product similar to sour cream but less sour. You can use full fat sour cream instead.
This was delicious. I served it with sauted spinich an grape tomatoes with s/pilotonline and some bit of Italian seasoning. Will definitely make again.
Thank you for sharing, Betsy! Sounds so delicious!
Delicious! Loved this and so easy and fast! I’m so glad I found your blog.
I am so glad you found my blog too, Nicola! That cod recipe is one of my favourite ways to cook fish!
This was an amazing recipe. It is so easy to make. I had brown beer mustard, and mixed it with sour cream. I cooked it for the same amount of time and it was so delicious. It is so tangy from the mustard, but the tart bite it taken out from the sour cream. This is so fast, so cheap, and so delicious.
Great news, Mandy!So happy to hear you enjoyed it!!
Steve is not a lover of fish dishes, but I think I’ll have to pursued him to try this! I would love to eat more fish. I’m feeling inspired :-)) x
I am so with you on this one, Louise, Brad only likes mild tasting fish like cod but I love salmon. I constantly try to incorporate more fish in our diet but the family is still rebelling. 🙂 This recipe is pretty safe though, I hope he likes it!
This looks suspiciously healthy. Is it? I couldn’t bear it. My healthy(ish) diet has taken a major dive the past 3 days. I must confess to not cooking enough fish. But I do like mustard so this sounds like a must try recipe. xx
I would absolutely put this recipe in the healthy category,Lucy! I don’t cook enough of fish either…not sure why…I blame it on the family.
Lovely! Sound perfectly delicious. Will try this, for sure 🙂
Thank you, Jennifer! It’s so quick so definitely worth trying.