Gone are the days of flavorless fish dinners! This healthy Balsamic Baked Cod recipe, topped with peppers and onions, comes together with almost no effort.
When I think of cod, the first thing that comes to mind is fish and chips. I've had my share of great fish and chips in my lifetime, with batter light and crispy encapsulating a tender piece of fish. With a sprinkle of malt vinegar, of course. It's just not the same without it. Truthfully, it took me a long time to appreciate any dense white fish - cod, halibut - unless it was battered and fried. As a kid, when my mum announced that she was preparing halibut, I inwardly gritted my teeth.
Times have changed along with my palate and now I practically salivate at the thought of a fresh piece of cod or halibut. This balsamic baked cod recipe with peppers comes together in less than 25 minutes. Hallelujah for quick meals!
Full disclosure: I stole the the idea for this baked cod recipe straight from my Easy Braised Balsamic & Herb Chicken recipe. If you regularly stock your pantry and fridge with canned diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, peppers and onions, this is something you can pull off at the last minute. Which is how things usually go down around here.
Two tips for keeping the cod tender. First is an obvious one - don't overcook it! The second trick is to pile the sautéed veggies on top of the fish while it cooks to help hold in the moisture.
Serve it up over brown rice, quinoa or farro. Lean protein, whole grains, veggies. Boom!
Printable Recipe
Balsamic Baked Cod Recipe with Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion halved & thinly sliced
- 1 yellow or red pepper seeded & thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper or to taste
- 4 5 ounces each cod fillets
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then nestle the cod fillets into the tomato mixture. Pile some of the vegetables on top of the fish.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the fish is just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle the parsley over top. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Frances
What sort of balsamic do you use? I have many types of it around.
thanks
Dara
Any good quality balsamic vinegar will do (though not white balsamic for this recipe). I typically used an aged one.
Frances
thank you, will try it.
Evans
This looks so good. I’ll be trying this one soon for sure!
Kimberly @The Daring Gourmet
Double hooray for quick meal! I have some frozen cod on hand and this looks like the perfect way to use it!
Laura at I Heart Naptime
I love all the great colors and flavors going on in this - and so awesome that it's done in 25 minutes!
Sabrina
I love cooking with cod! This looks like a delicious recipe for it!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I want to add more cod to our menu. This sounds delicious! I can't wait to try it!
Dee
I just love how healthy and colorful this dish is -- and that you can put it together at the last minute!
Stephanie
Wow, this looks so flavorful! I want to make this soon!