Caribbean Inspired Spicy Baked Cod
This easy to make baked cod recipe is one of my favorite fish and seafood recipes. A mix of different tropical spices, a splash of fresh lemon juice, coconut rum and colorful bell peppers create a mildly spicy, flavourful baked cod fillet with a refreshing lemon aroma. Maybe this tropical baked cod recipe sounds very overwhelming and difficult. But don’t get discouraged, this recipe is for all cooking skill levels and I promise you it will taste great even at your first try!
Baked Cod in Caribbean Style is refreshing
I love to make fish and seafood for dinner, and there are a few regular dishes on the dinner menu like pan-sear salmon, garlic shrimp, and steamed fish. However, my wife and I have come to a point that we crave something more exciting, different, and exotic. Some flavors that are going to stimulate our pallets, reboot our nerves. That’s how this recipe of Caribbean baked cod was inspired – playing with almost all the spices we have at home, mix, and test to the seasoning on codfish. Eventually, we were blown away by the rich flavors that the firm codfish fillet absorbed from the seasoning. Honestly, when the regular seafood dishes get dull, this Caribbean baked cod is a breath of fresh air. It’s great to add it to our dinner rotation.
What are the Ingredients for Caribbean Baked Codfish
Cod fillet: if you are not a fan of fishy fish, the good news, codfish has a very mild fish flavor. It barely has any taste without seasoning or marinade. This is also why it is perfect for this recipe to infuse the tropical spice. But cod has a very firm texture, which will go amazingly well with the crunchy vegetables.
Red onion: onions are aromatic and have a sharp and strong flavor, which makes the baked cod more inviting and flavorful. In addition, the purple color of red onions is very attractive and it stimulates our appetizer just by looking at it.
Bell peppers: I use red and orange bell peppers to have a variety of colors. Also, red and orange peppers are sweet so that it can balance the spiciness of the baked cod. Bell peppers are healthy fruits to add to our meal because they are full of vitamins A, B6, and C, according to Healthline.
Lemon: Lemon is the key to the refreshment of this dish. Lemon juice is used in marinating the cod fillet and lemon zest is to create a pleasant aroma when the cod is being baked in the oven.
Seasoning mix for cod: salt, black pepper, lemon pepper powder, turmeric powder, ground paprika pepper, ground cumin, and dry thyme. The seasoning mix is the magic to infuse the tropical and spicy flavor to the codfish.
Ingredient List
| Cod fillet | 6- 8 oz |
| Fresh lemon juice | 1 tbsp |
| Grated zest of lemon | 1 tsp |
| Freshly ground black pepper | 1 tsp |
| Pink salt | 1 tsp |
| Olive Oil | 2 tsp |
| Coconut rum | 1 tsp |
| Lemon pepper powder | 1 tsp |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Ground paprika pepper | 1 tsp |
| Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp |
| Dry Thyme | 1/2 tsp |
| Yellow bell pepper | 1 |
| Orange bell pepper | 1 |
| Red onion | half |
| Scallion | 2 |
How to Baked the Flavorful Cod Fillet in the oven
– step by step directions
This meal is very beginner-friendly – not much prepping and chopping. But please do leave enough time to marinate the fish filet in order to infuse rich flavors to it.
Step 1
preheat the oven to 450 F
Step 2 – Marinate the cod fillet (15 – 30 minutes)
Marinating the cod fillet well and long enough is the key in this step. If the cod fillet wasn’t marinated long enough, it wouldn’t be flavorful.
- coat both sides of the cod fillet with salt and pepper, lemon pepper, turmeric powder, ground paprika pepper, cumin and thyme
- gently rub the cod fillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- add lemon juice and lemon zest to the marinade
- add 1 teaspoon of coconut rum to the marinade
Step 3 – cut the bell peppers, onion
- while we are waiting for the cod to be fully marinated, let’s do some chopping
- cut the bell peppers into strips
- slice the onion into half-moons or thin cuts
Step 4 – Bake cod in foil
This recipe uses the bake-in-foil method to preserve the juice and sauce, and it helps to cook a moist cod fillet.
- Lay some onion and bell pepper strips on the foil. Put the cod fillet on top of them
- Surround the cod with the rest of the pepper and onion strips, add 2 scallions on top of the fillet
- Warp the foil up and put it on a baking sheet
- Put on the top layer of the oven, bake for 12- 15mins until cook through
Enjoy the yummy Caribbean Baked Cod!
What to serve with Caribbean Spicy Baked Cod
My go-to choice is rice – it is a wonderful side to soak up the spicy and flavorful sauce from the baked cod. Sweet potatoes would be interesting to have as well! They will complement and balance the spiciness if you have a lower tolerance for spicy food.
Recipe
Baked Cod Recipe in Caribbean Style
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Oven
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 6-8 oz Cod fillet
- 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Grated zest of lemon
- 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Pink salt
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Coconut rum
- 1 tsp Lemon pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Ground paprika pepper
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Dry Thyme
- 1 Yellow bell pepper
- 1 Orange bell pepper
- 1/2 Red onion
- 2 stalk Scallion
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 450 F
- Marinate the cod fillet with salt and pepper, lemon pepper, turmeric powder, ground paprika pepper, cumin, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and coconut rum. Rub with olive oil.
- Slice bell peppers and onion
- Put a foil In a baking sheet, lay the cod fillet on top of the pepper strips and onion
- Surround the cod with the rest of the bell peppers and onion
- Put two stalks of scallion on top of the fish fillet. Wrap up the foil
- Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven at 450 F
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