Have dinner ready in 25 minutes with a simple and delicious Keto Cod recipe with the best tangy and savory lemon, butter, and caper sauce.
It's easy to serve this keto cod on top of a salad or along with any of your favorite healthy low carb sides.
Interested in another flavorful and tangy keto dish? Try my Keto Pork Chops next.
I try to eat fish at least once per week, and I come back to this lemony, briny recipe over and over again. Keto Cod is light, flaky, and tasty, and will be a regular on your menu plan too.
If you love fish, you'll want to make this salmon bites recipe next.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's Fast. Fish cooks on the stovetop in less than 15 minutes, so dinner will be ready super quickly.
- It's Light. By design, some keto meals can be really heavy. This low carb meal won't weigh you down, so it's a nice change of pace.
- It's Easy to Customize. Swap out the cod for another white fish, or adjust the sauce ingredients to your own taste. This recipe is very forgiving.
Instant Pot Salmon is another of my favorite tasty keto fish recipes.
Pick up a jar of capers and a lemon on your next shopping trip so you’re ready to make this Keto Cod Recipe any time.
Ingredients
Cod - A mild white fish, Cod is sturdy enough that it won’t fall apart when you cook it, but still flaky and delicate to eat.
Salt and Pepper - A standard pair of seasonings, add salt and pepper to taste.
Minced Garlic - I love garlic on fish, and here it goes perfectly with the other ingredients in this Italian style recipe.
Capers - Salty, briny, and slightly bitter, capers are the star of this sauce.
Butter - Try a dairy free butter if you want to make this dish dairy free.
Lemon Juice - I think that all fish dishes benefit from a bit of lemon juice, and lemons pair perfectly with capers and garlic on cod. We love using fresh lemon juice in our desserts, like our keto lemon bars.
If you have any questions about this recipe for Keto Cod, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
How to make keto cod
Making this Keto Cod recipe is really very easy. Just cook the fish in a pan, then heat up the sauce and combine the two things together. Here are the steps you'll need to take.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Salt and pepper both sides of each piece of cod, and cook on each side for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer cooked cod to a plate.
- Add the garlic, cappers, butter, and lemon juice to the hot pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Remove the lemon caper sauce from the heat and spoon it over the cod.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
For a new spin on traditional roasted salmon, try our peanut butter glazed salmon recipe next.
Expert tips
- If using frozen Cod fillets, thaw them first before cooking. You can thaw in your refrigerator overnight or for a few hours.
- Dry your fish fillets with a paper towel before cooking. This will help prevent sticking.
- Cod is done when the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- You can also check for doneness by using a fork. Cod will flake easily when pulled with a fork.
FAQs
Any white fish will go well with these flavors. Try halibut or haddock if cod isn’t available. The lemon butter caper sauce in this recipe will also be delicious on shrimp or chicken, so feel free to experiment. We make a similar sauce for our chicken paillard with buttery caper sauce.
If you are really opposed to capers, you can leave them out and enjoy with garlic and lemon and a sprinkle of parmesan if you like. You can also use chopped salty, briny olives in place of the capers for a similar flavor.
If you want to thaw fish quickly, put it in a plastic bag, then place it in a large bowl of cool water. The water should be just a bit cooler than room temperature. Change the water out every 15 minutes or so.
Using this method, your cod should be thawed in around an hour.
Fish, including white fish like cod, is a very low carb protein source. A 4 ounce serving of cod has 0 carbs, and is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, making it an excellent choice for your keto dinner plans.
This flavorful Keto Cod sauce recipe adds about 1 net carb per serving to the fish.
Storage instructions
You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, however this fish is going to be most delicious when eaten immediately after cooking.
WHAT GOES WITH KETO COD?
Almost anything goes with this simple fish preparation, but here are some of my suggestions for simple Keto Sides to eat with cod.
We love serving our keto fish dishes with veggies, and this recipe for Instant Pot Asparagus is super simple to make.
Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts will pair well with the capers in this dish.
Simple vegetable side dishes like green beans, steamed asparagus, roasted broccoli, or a healthy green salad will be lovely with cod as well. Not sure which veggies are keto? Read our keto friendly vegetables article.
If you drink wine, we recommend sticking to whites when enjoying cod. The last time we had cod we enjoyed it with Chardonnay from the Hocking Hills Winery.
Need a keto dessert idea for your keto cod dinner? Try my Keto Lemon Bars, or Keto Fudge.
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Did you make this Keto Cod Recipe? Please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought.
📖 Recipe
Keto Cod
Ingredients
- 1 lb. cod about 4 pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon capers or more if you like
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Juice from 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Salt and pepper both sides of each piece of cod, and cook on each side for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer cooked cod to a plate.
- Add the garlic, capers, butter, and lemon juice to the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Remove from the heat. Spoon lemon caper sauce over the cod.
- Serve warm with your favorite keto sides.
Notes
- Lightly pat the cod with a paper towel to dry it before cooking. This will help prevent sticking.
- You can use dairy-free butter to keep this keto cod dairy-free.
- Cod is done when the internal temperature reaches 130°F.
Elizabeth
Very good! Will make again. Just wish the fish hadn’t stuck. Maybe would turn the heat up a bit higher.
Lisa
Capers are one of my favorite things! I remember the first time I ever had chicken piccatta - I was hooked. Capers are delicious in this recipe. I made it exactly as written and it was perfect.