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Spiced Butter Baked Cod with Green Beans

May 16, 2020 · 15 Comments

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Baked cod with a spiced butter sauce over green beans in a rectangular baking dish.
Baked cod with a spiced butter sauce over green beans in a rectangular baking dish.

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!

One pan healthy cod baked in a white dish on top of green beans

(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.
simple baked cod with a butter sauce on top of green beans in a white baking dish on a wooden table

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

One pan healthy cod baked in a white dish on top of green beans

Spiced Butter Baked Cod with Green Beans

Don Baiocchi
This easy, one-pan dish will become a regular part of your weeknight dinner repertoire.
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 333 kcal

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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 33gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 679mgPotassium: 936mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 779IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 2mg
Keyword bake cod, baked fish recipe, cod, healthy fish recipe
Tried this recipe?Mention @paleoglutenfreeguy or tag #paleoglutenfreeguy!

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Mains, Recipes, Whole30 butter, cod, extra virgin olive oil, ghee, green beans, one pan, seafood, spring recipe, summer recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    October 26, 2021 at 4:41 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      October 26, 2021 at 4:46 pm

      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.

      Reply
  2. Richard Spice says

    May 25, 2021 at 8:22 pm

    1 star
    The cook times are clearly wrong on this for 1.5 lb of fish on greens.

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      May 26, 2021 at 11:18 am

      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.

      Reply
  3. Mary Fisher says

    July 17, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      July 17, 2020 at 7:31 pm

      Oh great! So glad you liked it. Thanks so much for letting me know! It means a lot.

      Reply
  4. Stacey Crawford says

    May 24, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    5 stars
    I love how simple this fish & veggie bake is! That spiced butter is delish!

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      May 25, 2020 at 8:49 pm

      Thanks! I could put that spiced butter on everything. 😉

      Reply
  5. Jennifer Fisher says

    May 22, 2020 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    Looks fantastic, love me some cod! And, I actually have never tried to cook from frozen, so god to know that hack!

    Reply
  6. Kelly says

    May 20, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    I love a meal that comes together easy and is full of flavors and textures! Yummy fish, delicious seasonings and tender green beans! Sold!

    Reply
  7. ChihYu says

    May 20, 2020 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    Every bite of this fish is so good! Flaky, moist and that yummy spiced butter! So delicious!

    Reply
  8. Jean Choi says

    May 19, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    One pan meals are totally my jam, and this is such a flavorful way to enjoy cod!

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      May 20, 2020 at 11:13 am

      They make life so much easier! 😉

      Reply
  9. Megan Stevens says

    May 19, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      May 20, 2020 at 11:14 am

      Yes, cold leftover fish is so good!

      Reply
4.56 from 9 votes

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Well hello there! I’m Don, the creator behind Paleo Gluten Free Guy. I share fun, vibrant recipes for good health and pure enjoyment. All of my recipes are gluten-free and the majority of them are also Paleo, meaning they’re free of grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes.

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