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Once when I was six years old, visiting my aunt and uncle in Washington D.C., I ate an entire box of Ritz crackers.
We never had anything like those crackers at home, so buttery, so delicious. And once I started, I couldn’t stop eating them.
They are banned from my house for the very reason that I still find them impossible to resist. Banned with the exception of this cod recipe.
Baked Cod with Ritz Crackers – A Perfect Match
Have you ever had white fish, baked with a Ritz cracker topping? It’s such a standard in New England that you’ll even find a Ritz cracker and butter mixture already packaged in plastic containers for sale at fish markets.
How to Bake Cod
Baked cod is one of the easiest things to make. All you have to do is put the cod fillets in a baking pan, smother them with the topping, and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on thickness. Add a little lemon and parsley and you’re done.
And the taste? Like lobster—infused with butter.
Can you use a different cracker? I don’t think so. You can, of course, but it just won’t taste the same.
Baked Cod with Ritz Cracker Topping Recipe
Any white, lean fish will work with this recipe. In New England, cod, haddock, pollock and hake are traditional, but walleye, catfish, bass, snapper, Pacific rock cod, striped bass or Gulf Coast redfish will all work.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless cod fillets
- Salt
- 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (about 34 crackers)
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Lemon and parsley for garnish (optional)
Method
1 Prepare oven, baking pan, fish: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a small baking pan or casserole pan with butter or a little oil. Rinse off the fish fillets with cold water, pat dry. Use long nose pliers to remove any pin bones from the fillets.
2 Place fillets in bottom of dish: If you want, cut the fillets into large serving pieces. Place the fillets at the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with salt.
3 Top fish with Ritz Cracker butter mixture: Melt the butter. Crush the Ritz crackers and place in a bowl; they should look like coarse breadcrumbs. Mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs. Pack the crumb mixture over the top and sides of the fish fillets.
4 Bake: Place in the 350°F oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. (Thin fillets may take less time, very thick fillets may take longer.)
Serve the fish with lemon and parsley.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Baked Cod with Ritz Cracker Topping
I’ve made this for years! Second only to flounder from LI Sound’s CT shoreline where I grew up. The only topping mom ever used, but I put thin slices of lemon on top of the Ritz topping to bake in the lemon flavor. Was looking for something for dinner tonite …. off to the fish market I went! Thanks!
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I’ve made this dish twice – the second time for my husband’s birthday dinner (he loves it that much). I added diced sweet red pepper on top of the cod. It added a lovely flavor and a dash of color.
I’ve made this 3 times. Hubby and I it!
And yes we are New Englanders.
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Delicious! Our new favorite cod recipe!
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It’s great!
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