My family loves fish. Well, I am not sure if that is exactly true. My family loves fish that does not taste like fish, like this Lemon Baked Cod. If the fish has a fish flavor, the fish is not loved. However, if I can spice up and drown out the fishy flavor of the fish, then the fish is gobbled up. So, my family likes fish as long as it tastes nothing like fish. Make sense?
Last week I saw a tip that said “To capture the flavor of your fresh caught fish, soak it in milk”. So, is this to actually keep the fresh fish flavor of the fish then? For those people who actually want their fish to taste like fish? I guess for those of you who live near the coast and have access to fish fresh from the sea, then fish tasting like fish is actually not a bad thing. Here in Kansas, we can get fresh from the pond catfish, but trust me… you don’t want it tasting fishy. Deep fry and season the hell out of that sucker, soak it in melted butter or add some lemon zest to it so it tastes nothing like the pond it came from!
Anyway, we have non-fishy tasting fish at least a couple of times in our house. Cod, because of the ease to make and the ability to simply get rid of the fishy fish flavor, is a favorite. If you like your fish to not be fishy then give this non-fishy flavored Lemon Baked Cod recipe a try. You won’t even know you are eating fish, which makes me wonder.. why not just eat chicken?
Lemon Baked Cod
Ingredients
- 1 lb cod fish fillet
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine melted
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- paprika
Instructions
- If fish fillets are large, cut into serving pieces.
- Mix butter and lemon juice.
- In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper.
- Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture.
- Place fish in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches.
- Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
- Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.
- Cod with Pesto and Tomatoes, from Anne’s Food
- Kim’s Easy Cod Recipe, from Kim’s New England Travel Blog
- Ling Cod with Tomato and Orange from Simply Recipes
I like disguising my fish with flavorful butters or sauces. Lemon, thyme crushed black pepper is always good too. YUM E!
Cod and Tilapia are my fav’s but once in a while I LOVE Yellow Bass. (May be it was the lemon/herb butter, hmmm?)
Here’s one thing to keep in mind- if fish smells ‘fishy’ or has a fishy taste, it’s generally because it isn’t fresh. Fish shouldn’t smell ‘fishy’.
The milk deal? Who knows, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I like to just press my fish into seasoned flour with a little cornmeal in it then drop it into a very hot skillet. So delicious and perfect! Have you tried tilapia? Mahi mahi?
I know! I have Atlantic frozen fish but still smelled fishy she thawed????
We used to catch catfish from a river. To clean it out inside, we put it live in a large tub of clean water for at least 24 hours. Then we killed it and cleaned it. (That was a story in itself that you don’t want to hear.) We then coated it in flour and corn meal and fried it in hot oil. It tasted like catfish!
We eat fish often, mostly salmon or pangasius (I think it’s also called baha). Usually, I bake it with a few veggies and a little olive oil to keep it moist. Your lemon baked cod sounds wonderful. 🙂
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Hey again! Yes, this fish sounds tasty and simple. It looks really appetizing in your photo!
I was reading your last post, about all of the changes. I agree. I am pretty new to this, even though I have been blogging for almost a year, it was really just for friends and family until just recently, and I really wasn’t involved in the community. I bet it has changed A LOT. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, it makes it interesting to think of where it will go and how it will continue to change.
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YUM! I love fish but rarely use Cod, I am a salmon, tilapia and tuna girl. This looks so good though! I love lemon with fish, it really brightens and enhances the fresh flavor!
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My husband says the same thing about fish! I cook salmon on top of the lemon slices, in the oven. Pretty yummy. Then broil the top. The lemon flavor bakes in to the fish.
I love fish! Any kind.
Thanks for the smile.
Yeah I love fish too but hate fishy…that means it’s not fresh right. Cod is one of those great fishes you can infuse the flavor of anything into…this sounds like a great recipe.
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Oh, my. For a moment it seemed I was reading something about my husband – he is willing to eat fish as long as it doesn’t taste like fish! 🙂
This looks delicious, darling. And I love using lemon and lime with fish.
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This post made me laugh! I know plenty of people who like fish as long as it doesn’t taste like fish!
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Fish as long as it doesn’t taste like fish – yep, makes total sense!
My parents never cooked fish when I was growing up so I’m still experimenting with how to cook it but this looks delicious.
I love that picture. We do enjoy fish, in our family, a lot.
The Milk trick is actually to remove fishy flavor. Its used on really strong oily fish like bluefish. You should try it, itll work for your anti-fishy fam 🙂
I love fish. Could eat it every day really… Some of my kids are not so thrilled with it when it has a stronger taste. I have found all kinds of ways over the years to make it a part of our regular diet. When I was a kid my mom use to soak salt-cod in milk. Your recipe sounds wonderful. I’m sure this will be hit with them!
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THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting a recipe for non-fishy fish, which is my favorite kind. I sincerely appreciate the links to more recipes like this. Muchos Gracias!
My family suffers from the same dilemma, though I tend to like fish more than the boys or husband. I got my husband and boys to eat salmon by making it Japanese style with a sweetened pan sauce and serving with buckwheat noodles. I like your recipe. Simple with good flavors!
Hi. The fishy/muddy flavors you’ve tasted in your local pond-raised catfish/tilapia/etc are most likely caused by the compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, which the fish absorb from algae in the water. Both are broken down by acids. Soaking the fish in too strong an acid (like lemon juice) will denature the proteins and ‘cook’ the fish (think ceviche)– but an hour-long soak in buttermilk before cooking will significantly reduce the off-flavors without affecting the texture of the fish. Good luck!
Loved the tips Tori provided and agreed, fishy fish is a real turn off!
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From the picture, it looks like there’s cheese on top of the fish. I love that bubbling effect! Looks yummy.
I’ve heard of the soaking fish but never tried it before. From what I heard though soaking it in milk is supposed to get rid of the fishiness, a great remedy for fish that is a just a tad — a whisper — past freshness.
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Now this is the kinda fish I want. You’re right about the pond taste, yuck! I always think if you fry fish, it’s fishier too. Baked cod and mild fish is what I’m about, otherwise, where’s the chicken?
This technique will come in handy when we have guests that prefer non fishy smelling fish. LOL at your last question….why not just eat chicken? So true 🙂
How come I had not visited this site earlier ? A great looking sight . As we love eating fish, I was tempted to see this recipe first – out of the whole lot – looking s.o.o yummy n mouth-watering, literally . Something very new for me – fish & milk . well, i will try out . I will also be a regular visitor to this site .
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I’m like your family. If it’s smothered in sauce that hides the taste I can eat it. Otherwise no fishy fish (If I hit a bone that pretty much ends any fish eating session too). That being said, I eat sushi…go figure….
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That trout looks particularly inviting. Yum!
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We aren’t big of fishy smelling fish either…and we are on the East Coast. As someone else said, if it smells fishy it’s not fresh so keep on walking and don’t look back!
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You know………some people like the taste of fish that is cooked right. I personnaly don’t my fish to taste like chicken. If i wanted chicken i would eat chicken!
Growing up in the south where wild catfish is King, we learned cool ways of preparing fish. The milk really works and protects the flavor and texture of the fish. Lemon/Lime can also be an unpleasant taste if you happen not to like lemon. How your fish is cleaned will have a great deal to do with removing the fishy taste. If you clean a white meat fish and it has a brown or redish line down the body of the fish remove that line with a V-cut. The latteral line is the fish’s sensor department and it also gathers oils and contaments. Also, cut out the belly portion which is a “fatty” tissue and can be cause for fishy taste. Eat well!
When I was a newlywed my husband told me never to cook seafood because he just didn’t like it. Turns out the only seafood his mother made was fish sticks from the grocer’s freezer!! No wonder. It took me awhile but 25 years later we have fish quite often and he now shares my love for all things from the ocean. I bought some cod and we are trying this awesome recipe tonight. Thanks
I just found this recipe on Pinterest. I’ve been experimenting with cod recipes & this is one I’ll try. BTW, your blog is quite pretty =)
Looked so easy to make. I love the real. Lemons on the fish.. I didn’t use flour and it still came out great.
My mom would love this recipe – I can’t wait to make it for her.
OH HOW DELICIOUS! WHOLE FAMILY LOVED IT!
I would not use the flour again. It just made a yucky floury paste on the fish.