Cheesy cod and broccoli bake

This cheesy cod and broccoli bake is a super-simple recipe, perfect for a quick and easy mid-week meal. It's made with juicy cod fillets nestled on a bed of tender broccoli florets, smothered in a tasty cheese sauce and oven-baked until golden.

This recipe was inspired by my other recipe for fish and rice bake in tomato sauce which is also baked in the oven. But whereas that is a tomato-based recipe, this cod and broccoli bake is made with a creamy cheese sauce.

With plenty of broccoli and lots of tangy cheesy sauce, this fish bake is almost a complete meal in one dish. I like to serve it with this spicy mushroom rice, but it would be just as tasty served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. And if you don't have the time (or inclination) to cook a separate side dish, a simple green salad and a crusty bread roll will be more than sufficient.

I love how the broccoli soaks up the cheese sauce as it bakes, yet still retains a slight crunch. If you prefer your broccoli to be more on the softer side, you could par-boil it first, but I don't find it necessary.

The fish bakes to absolute perfection and turns out juicy and succulent, flaking easily with a fork. I used cod, but haddock or even salmon would work just as well in this recipe.

For extra flavour I've included a finely sliced onion in the cheese sauce. And if you'd like to spice things up a little, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard would make a nice adddition.

Let me show you how easy it is to make

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips for a perfect outcome
• Serving suggestions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• FAQ
• Save for later
• Related recipes
• 📋The recipe

Ingredients

For the cod and broccoli bake you will need the following ingredients:

• Cod fillets - you will need one fillet per person. The recommended weight of each raw fillet should be 115 grams or 4 ounces, but if your family has a large appetite then you can obviously add more. If you are interested in portion control, the British Heart Foundation has some handy PDF documents you can download showing recommended portion sizes for various foods.
• Broccoli - there is a whole head of broccoli in this recipe. The broccoli should be rinsed and broken into florets. Discard the centre stem or keep it to add to your next pot of soup or stew.
• Onion - this is optional - if you don't want to add onions to the sauce you can leave it out or perhaps substitute it with a finely chopped leek. The onion should be finely sliced or diced.
• Butter - this is used to saute the onion to soften it, and is also used as the base for the sauce.
• Flour - used to thicken the sauce.
• Milk - if you prefer an even creamier sauce you could use half milk and half single cream.
• Grated cheese - used both in the sauce and for sprinkling on top of the cod bake before it goes into the oven. I used cheddar but you can use any cheese that melts well.
• Salt and black pepper (not pictured) - for seasoning.
• Dijon mustard - (not pictured and optional) - to add to the sauce.

**You can find the complete list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Instructions

And this is how you make it:

Tips for a perfect outcome

Here are my top tips to ensure your meal turns out perfectly:

• Cut the broccoli into evenly sized pieces so that they all cook at the same time.
• If you are concerned that the broccoli won't cook to your liking in the oven, parboil it for 3 minutes (no longer) and drain it well before adding it to the baking dish.
• Press the fish fillets gently with paper towel to blot up any excess moisture before placing them on top of the broccoli. This is especially important if your fish and been frozen and defrosted. Excess moisture in the fish will make the sauce turn 'runny' in the oven.
• If you are not using onions in the sauce, simply melt the butter and stir in the flour before adding the milk.
• If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it down with an extra splash of milk after the cheese has been added.
• The sauce should leave a trail that closes slowly when you draw a spatula through it.
• Cover the dish tightly with tinfoil (or a lid) for the first 25 minutes of cooking time. This will give the fish time to steam. If your fillets are on the thick side, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time. The fish will be cooked when it flakes easily with a fork.
• Take care when removing the foil from the baking dish - the steam inside will be HOT!
• The final few minutes of cooking time is to allow the cheese to melt. You may not need the entire 10 minutes.
• Remember to season the dish to your taste.

Serving suggestions

Serve with rice or creamy mashed potatoes (or even Irish Colcannon).

If you would like to add other vegetables as side dishes, why not try one of these recipes:

• Minted smashed peas
• Glazed carrots
• Buttered cabbage and leeks

This cod and broccoli bake is also delicious when served with a fresh green salad and lots of crusty bread for mopping up the cheesy sauce.

Variations

Here are a few ideas for variations on the recipe that you may like to try:

• Instead of using broccoli, why not make this dish with cauliflower florets (or a mixture of cauliflower and broccoli) instead. The cooking time will remain the same.
• For a crunchy topping, combine breadcrumbs or a packet of crushed potato crisps with the cheese. I think cheese and onion flavoured crisps would be amazing.
• I've mentioned mustard earlier, but I often add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard when I'm making cheese sauce - it adds a nice little kick without being too spicy.
• Scatter a few shelled and deveined raw prawns on top of the broccoli before adding the fish. You can use frozen prawns, but defrost them first.

Equipment

As far as equipment goes, this is what you will need:

• A baking dish large enough to hold the broccoli, fish and cheese sauce. For 4 people I used an 11" x 7" dish.
• A large frying pan (or saucepan) for frying the onions and making the sauce.

Storage

You can assemble the dish the day before and leave it in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. Warm them in the oven or in the microwave before serving.

This dish is not suitable for freezing.

FAQ

Save for later

If you would like to try this cheesy cod and broccoli bake why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Related recipes

Visit my fish and seafood recipes page for other tasty fish recipes. Here are a few you might enjoy:

📋The recipe

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