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Years ago, my husband Jack worked for a small family-owned grocery chain as one of the chef managers of their in-store cafés. He was given free rein in the kitchen to create some original dishes and came up with this recipe for Cheesy Baked Stuffed Cod.
This meal instantly became one of the café’s top-selling items, selling out every Friday! It was also added to the café menu in all 27 store locations across Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a permanent offering. He’s sharing his recipe here.
This moist and flavorful fish is pure comfort food and it’s easy to see why so many customers loved it! (We certainly love it in our family too!) The buttery cracker and cheese topping is perfect with a hint of lemon and seasonings, and the fish stays super moist thanks to a little bit of milk that is placed around the fish in the pan while it bakes. Enjoy!
This recipe was originally published on A Family Feast in October 2012. The photos and recipe have been updated.
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Cheesy Baked Stuffed Cod
You can either cut the fish into four portions before baking, or lay the whole filets in a baking pan and cook them whole, then cut into portions after it is baked.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh cod or haddock (or other white fish of your choice)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Few grinds of black pepper
- 4 slices Muenster cheese
- 2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers
- Juice from half a lemon (save the other half for later in recipe)
- Zest from half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 Tablespoons butter, melted (1 stick)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ lemon cut into four wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the fish fillets (or pieces) in pan. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Place the slices of Muenster cheese evenly over the fish.
- Crush crackers into a medium-size bowl (Helpful tip: Crush them right in the sleeve and then pour into the bowl). Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder, white pepper, parsley flakes, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and melted butter. Mix to combine.
- Gently pile cracker mixture over fish. Try to leave the stuffing loose and not packed down.
- Pour milk around fish but not over. Place lemon wedges in milk next to fish.
- Cover with a piece of parchment paper and then cover with foil, sealing tightly around the edges.
- Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and foil and bake uncovered for five more minutes. (Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your fish. Fish is done when it flakes apart with a fork.)
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We had the Cheesy Baked Stuffed Cod tonight for dinner and I wanted you to know it was really good! The cheese on top was a pleasant addition. I didn’t have any Ritz, so I substituted some thin sweet potato and some thin almond crackers and that made the topping pleasantly crunchy. I just wondered about the reason for the parchment paper under the foil? My husband and I have both loved all the recipes I have pinned from your site. Thank you!
Hi Jean – Glad you enjoyed the recipe! The parchment prevents the acid from the lemon from reacting with the foil. The foil gives a much more secure/tighter seal for cooking – so we layer it.
Great recipe. The Cod was super moist great flavor. Will make this recipe again.
★★★★★
Thanks Buffy! So glad you enjoyed it!
This is the most delicious recipe for baked cod I have ever had. Made this for company and I could have made twice as much and it would have been eaten. I am from the Boston area and never had any fish this good. Fabulous! Thank you.
★★★★★
Wow Maureen – that’s a huge compliment! (We live in Plymouth, MA) So glad you enjoyed the recipe as much as we do!
My favorite recipe for fish! It is absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Meaghan – so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is by far the best fish recipe. We eat it on Christmas Eve and pretty much any time we can. Love it thank you!
You’re very welcome Brittany! Merry Christmas!
I’ve made this twice now. It’s absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks Sarah! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I finally made this recipe last night with Mahi-Mahi, and it was fantastic! My husband didn’t even realize there was cheese on it. It just disappeared into the dish. The crumb topping was flavorful and a perfect complement to the fish. Thanks so much for sharing. It will be my “go to” easy fish recipe!
Thanks Betty – so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Oh my, this sounds divine. I don’t normally think of fish as comfort food, but this is definitely comforting! One of my favorite fish dishes ever had a Ritz cracker topping and this reminds me of that dish but with more good stuff.
Thanks! I think any recipe with Ritz on top has to be delicious! Thanks for visiting today!
Friday night fish fry is a tradition where we live, and I love the idea ofbusting out this casserole as a delicious twist.
Thanks Erin! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I LOVE this recipe! I am now making it for the second time 🙂
Thanks Avril! We love this recipe at our house too! Thanks for writing to us!