Spiced Butter Baked Cod with Green Beans is a fast, easy, healthy one-pan recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Smoky, garlicky butter coats tender fish and veggies and gets topped with crunchy sliced almonds.
Ready in 30 minutes and cleanup is a breeze!
This can easily be made dairy-free using ghee or extra virgin olive oil.
Plus it’s also low carb, Paleo, keto and Whole30-friendly!
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I’ll automatically receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
What you need to make Spiced Butter Baked Cod
Since this is a one-pan recipe, you don’t need much!
- a 9×13″ baking dish or similar 3 qt. dish (do not use a baking sheet)
- a thin spatula to lift the cod out of the dish
- a serving platter, if desired
- measuring spoons
- a cutting board
- a chef’s knife
- a small skillet for toasting the sliced almonds
- an instant read thermometer (optional)
And as for ingredients for this healthy baked cod recipe:
- 4 (5-6 oz.) cod fillets, about 1.5 pounds
- 12-16 oz. green beans
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) grass-fed butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
How to make this Spiced Butter Baked Cod
Making baked cod with butter is so simple almost anyone can do it:
- toss the green beans with salt and pepper right in the pan
- pat dry the cod and lay on top of the green beans
- sprinkle the cod with salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and butter
- bake!
- remove the cod and toss the beans with the spiced butter
And that’s it!
Variations and substitutions
- You can use frozen cod even if it’s still frozen! You’ll have to increase the cooking time to about 45-50 minutes. The green beans won’t burn, they’ll just get even more tender and even a little caramelized.
- You can use tilapia or haddock instead of cod. Both of those will probably cook faster than cod so start checking around 10-12 minutes. If they’re frozen it’ll take more like 30-40 minutes.
- To make it dairy-free and Whole30 friendly, use ghee or extra virgin olive oil.
- You can use broccoli florets instead of green beans.
- Use whatever spices you like. I particularly like this with yellow curry powder.
- Use whatever nuts you like for a little crunch.
What to serve with this cod in butter sauce
To round out the meal, you could serve this with steamed or roasted potatoes.
These almond flour biscuits smeared with more butter or ghee would also be great on the side.
You could serve it with rice or cauliflower rice to help soak up all the buttery juices. This link shows you how to make cauliflower rice.
But you could also use sweet potato rice, as seen with this beef stew recipe.
You could try parsnip rice, too.
What to make ahead
You really can’t make the dish ahead of time, but it takes just minutes to throw together.
You can toast the sliced almonds ahead of time and keep in a container for up 2 weeks.
Freezing
Freezing cooked fish like cod isn’t preferred. But if you really want to, place the baked cod on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place uncovered in the freezer. Once the cod is totally frozen, place in a freezer-safe baggie or container for up to 1 month.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a low oven for 10-15 minutes.
Freeze the green beans (separately from the cod) by placing them and the buttery juices in a freezer-safe baggie or container for up to 1 month.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a low oven or in a skillet.
Other seafood and one-pan dishes
You might also like:
Crispy Skin Salmon 2 Ways: Pan-Fried or Broiled
Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon with Pesto
One-Pan Creamy Mustard Pork Chops with Asparagus
Sheet Pan Apple Cinnamon Chicken
Spiced Butter Baked Cod with Green Beans
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz. trimmed green beans
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 (5-6 oz.) cod fillets (about 1.5 lbs.)
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, ghee or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°.
- Toss the green beans with 1/2 tsp. salt and the pepper in a 9×13" / 3 qt. baking dish.
- Pat dry the cod fillets and place on top of the green beans.
- Sprinkle the fillets with another 1/2 tsp. salt plus the garlic powder and smoked paprika. Divide the butter into half-tablespoons and place 2 on top of each fillet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fillet reads 125°.
- While the cod bakes, add the sliced almonds to a small, dry skillet. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasty, about 7-10 minutes.
- Once the cod is done, gently remove to a serving platter. Toss the green beans with the spiced buttery juices, add to the serving platter and sprinkle over the sliced almonds. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the top and serve.
Rachel says
Delicious! We eat light during the week and was looking for something using what I have on hand (cod and green beans from Costco). Easy dishes make it so much easier to do (especially for my boyfriend who is allergic to kale, lol). I did use drained canned beans and toasted the almonds in the microwave and it came out great.
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Hi Rachel, so glad you liked it! Good tip about the canned beans – I hadn’t tried those but good to hear they work! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Richard Spice says
The cook times are clearly wrong on this for 1.5 lb of fish on greens.
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Hi Richard,
Not sure why you say that. I’ve made this recipe multiple times and, as you can see from other comments here, others have followed the recipe and enjoyed the results. If it was one piece of fish that weighed 1.5 pounds, yes, the cooking time might be different. But it’s 4 separate fillets.
Mary Fisher says
This was an excellent meal! I used white pepper at half the amount, and I cooked my riced cauliflower in butter with shallots and roasted garlic. Mixing the cooked cauliflower in the drippings from the fish and green beans was a great suggestion. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Oh great! So glad you liked it. Thanks so much for letting me know! It means a lot.
Stacey Crawford says
I love how simple this fish & veggie bake is! That spiced butter is delish!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Thanks! I could put that spiced butter on everything. 😉
Jennifer Fisher says
Looks fantastic, love me some cod! And, I actually have never tried to cook from frozen, so god to know that hack!
Kelly says
I love a meal that comes together easy and is full of flavors and textures! Yummy fish, delicious seasonings and tender green beans! Sold!
ChihYu says
Every bite of this fish is so good! Flaky, moist and that yummy spiced butter! So delicious!
Jean Choi says
One pan meals are totally my jam, and this is such a flavorful way to enjoy cod!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
They make life so much easier! 😉
Megan Stevens says
Most Americans don’t eat enough fish, but it really is such a healthy and satisfying dinner option. Plus, I love leftover fish the next day cold. Thanks for this new recipe!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Yes, cold leftover fish is so good!