In this ridiculously easy yet awesomely elegant sheet pan dinner, cod fillets are plopped atop sliced potatoes and roasted to perfection. Understated. Impressive. And just 10 minutes of effort. Although no one besides you needs to know that last part.
Roasted Cod with Potatoes and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick (6-mm) rounds
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Four (6 to 8 ounce) fresh (not frozen) skinless firm white fish fillets, such as cod, haddock, or halibut, 1 to 1 1/2 inches (25 to 38 mm) thick
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the potatoes, garlic, and oil in a microwave-safe bowl and season with salt and pepper. Microwave, uncovered, until the potatoes are just tender, stirring once or twice, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Arrange the potatoes, overlapping the edges slightly, in 4 portions that resemble rectangles roughly 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 cm).
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and place a fillet on top of each stack of potatoes, skinned side down. Top each fillet with an equal amount of butter, thyme sprigs, and lemon slices.
- Roast until the fish flakes apart when gently prodded with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 18 minutes. Slide a thin metal spatula underneath each stack of potatoes and fish, gently transfer the whole shebang to a plate, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This lemon roast cod with potatoes and lemon was delicious, effortless, and elegant enough for company on a weeknight—this dish is a champion! The roasted cod was plump and juicy, and its delicate flavor was lovely with a hint of citrus and thyme. (What is it about lemon slices and herbs that makes everything look so refined?)
Using the microwave to precook the potatoes with garlic was brilliant and it worked very well here. When roasted, the potato slices were the epitome of success—golden brown on the edges with the inside so incredibly creamy and beautifully flavored.
In order to make sure each serving stayed neat when serving, I lifted the fish and lemon slices with a thin spatula and set them aside in the empty space on the baking sheet, plated the potatoes, and put the cod and lemon back on.
It’s always nice to have a recipe for roasting that doesn’t require you to have the oven on for an hour or more when Mother Nature has left the oven on outside and it is over 90°F already in May. The microwaving of the potatoes in this recipe made this a possibility. And, overall, it’s a very easy recipe to cook.
I used cod. I also sprinkled the area around and between the fish and potato stacks with grape tomatoes just because I had them on hand. The bright red combined with the yellow and green of the lemon and thyme made for an attractive presentation.
We really enjoyed this simple yet elegant roasted cod with potatoes and lemon. It was quick to prepare and the combination of buttery halibut atop crisp potatoes was awesome. I definitely will be making this again and again.
The potatoes in this dish were unbelievably good! I had one slice on the bottom that was as crispy as a potato chip, while most of them were creamy and unctuous. Flavor was superb. A couple of folks at the table were trepidatious of having cod so early in the day (whipped this up after church at noon) but they ended up loving the non-fishy flavor and those incredible potatoes!
Nana’s Gil, THIS is what I love to hear! Changing people expectations with food. Brava! And I’m delighted you and they all like it.
This was a delicious, easy dish. My husband isn’t a big fish eater but he really, really liked this one. A keeper for sure and I believe the basic idea can be used for other fish and spices.
Wonderful, Sheila! We are thrilled that both you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to comment.