LEMON CRUSTED COD DINNER

September 06, 2022

I've had this specific craving for crusted white fish for weeks now - so I made it happen with this Lemon Crusted Cod Dinner! This meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, and meal-prep friendly... just freeze your meals in an airtight container for optimal freshness. I love this meal served with roasted dill steak fries and lemon "butter" broccoli, but you can use whatever sides you enjoy ;)

You might also like my Healthy Fish Sticks & Tartar Sauce recipe!

Did you know? Cod is an excellent source of lean protein with 40% of your daily selenium needs in just 3 ounces (source). It's also lower in the toxic heavy metal mercury than other popular white fish like halibut and tuna.

Choosing the best fish

We've already covered how cod is better for you than halibut or tuna, but what about other white fish? For this recipe, you're going to want a mild flavored fish with firm flesh. Some low-mercury options include Catfish, Atlantic mackerel, and Tilapia. I really do like cod the best, but these will work, too!

Coating options

To keep the macros balanced, I went with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs for the coating. If you don't need gluten-free, regular breadcrumbs would work too! If you need this Paleo, low carb, and gluten-free, you can use almond flour. 

I used beaten egg to help the crust adhere to the fish, but if you're allergic to eggs you can omit and just press the breading onto the fish (the coating will be slightly sticky anyway).

Other substitutions

The coating is mixed with fresh parsley, melted vegan butter (or ghee), lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You can totally use avocado oil in place of the vegan butter or ghee, or two teaspoons of dried parsley in place of fresh. I do prefer the bright flavor of fresh parsley, though!

How to make the sides

For the steak fries, I just cut a few organic russet potatoes into large matchsticks, then tossed with avocado oil, dried dill, garlic powder and salt. Finally, I roasted them at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes until tender and browned in spots.

You can also make potato wedges in the air fryer like Kirty from Truffle Nation did!

For the steamed broccoli, you can use a steamer pot or microwave to steam fresh broccoli florets. Then toss with some lemon and vegan butter or ghee. So yummy!

Here's the printable recipe for this Lemon Crusted Cod Dinner. I hope you'll rate and comment below if you love it :)

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Lemon Crusted Cod Dinner

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Category

Dinner

Servings

6

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Calories

220

This Lemon Crusted Cod Dinner is gluten-free, dairy-free, and meal-prep friendly... just freeze your meals in an airtight container for optimal freshness. I love this meal served with roasted dill steak fries and lemon "butter" broccoli.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. wild-caught cod filets, fresh or frozen

• 1 cup gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs (or almond flour)

• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

• 2 tbsp. vegan butter (or ghee), melted

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon zest 
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 1 large whole egg, beaten

*See blog post above for substitutions.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. If using frozen filets, thaw in packet under cold running water. Pat excess water out using paper towels.

3. If using fresh filets, simply pat dry with paper towel.

4. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs through pepper to make coating.

5. Beat egg in another small bowl.

6. Dip each filet into beaten egg, then roll in coating, pressing lightly to adhere. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Bake filets in the oven at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Serve with dill steak fries and lemon butter broccoli (see blog post) or sides of choice.

8. Leftovers will keep in the freezer in an airtight container up to one month, or in the fridge up to three days.

Recipe Note

Calories (per 5 oz. filet, using breadcrumbs): 220kcal, Fat: 4.0g, Sat fat: 1.0g, Carbs: 15g, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g, Protein: 28g, Sodium: 303mg

Calories (per 5 oz. filet, using almond flour): 260kcal, Fat: 13.4g, Sat fat: 1.7g, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Protein: 31g, Sodium: 303mg

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