One‑pan lemon, garlic and cod traybake
A speedy one‑pan fish dinner: roast cod with new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans and olives in a lemon‑garlic butter.
This one‑pan traybake is the answer to frantic midweek dinners: minimal washing up, heaps of flavour and a meal on the table in under an hour. The lemon‑garlic marinade keeps the cod bright while potatoes and tomatoes roast to sweet, slightly charred perfection.
It’s flexible — swap the cod for another firm white fish or add whatever veg you’ve got in the fridge. Serve straight from the tray for maximum relaxed, family‑style appeal.
Ingredients
- 4 cod fillets — about 140 g each, skin-on or off as preferred
- 600 g new potatoes — halved (quarter larger potatoes)
- 300 g cherry tomatoes — halved if large
- 200 g green beans — trimmed
- 100 g pitted olives — Kalamata or black
- 1 brown onion — cut into wedges
- 3 garlic cloves — 2 for the marinade, 1 for finishing
- 1 lemon — zest and juice of half for marinade; the other half for wedges
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 g butter — cold, cut into small knobs
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 15 g flat-leaf parsley — roughly chopped for garnish
Equipment
- large baking tray/tin
- saucepan
- colander
- kitchen tongs or spatula
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional and line a large baking tray/tin with a little oil if non-stick.
Make the marinade: finely zest half the lemon, then squeeze the juice of half into a small bowl. Add 30 ml olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper; mix well.
Put the cod fillets in a shallow dish, pour over the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 15 minutes while you prepare the veg.
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil and parboil the new potatoes for 8 minutes until just tender. Drain in a colander.
Tip the drained new potatoes into a bowl. Add the remaining 30 ml olive oil, smoked paprika, dried oregano, a good pinch of sea salt and some black pepper; toss to coat.
Arrange the potatoes on the prepared baking tray/tin in a single layer. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes, brown onion wedges, trimmed green beans and pitted olives. Drizzle a little extra olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes to start them browning.
Remove the tray from the oven. Make four slight hollows and place the marinated cod fillets on top of the vegetables. Dot each fillet with small knobs of butter and grate the remaining garlic clove over the top if you like extra garlic flavour.
Return the tray to the oven and roast for 10–12 minutes until the cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Take the tray from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle.
Scatter over the chopped flat-leaf parsley, squeeze over the remaining lemon half and serve straight from the tray.
Tips
- If your potatoes are large, quarter them so everything finishes at the same time.
- Parboil the new potatoes so they crisp in the oven rather than remaining stodgy.
- Check the fish at the earlier end of the cooking time — oven speeds vary; cod is done when it flakes easily.
- Make ahead: you can marinate the cod in the fridge for up to 2 hours (not much longer), then assemble and roast just before serving.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat gently in a moderate oven (160°C fan) to avoid drying the fish.
Substitutions
cod fillets → haddock or pollock, same weight
Stays closenew potatoes → baby waxy potatoes or small Yukon golds, same weight
Stays closebutter → extra 20 ml olive oil for a dairy-free option
Noticeably differentpitted olives → capers (use 2 tbsp) for a saltier, tangier finish
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 450
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 600 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use frozen cod?
Yes — fully defrost it overnight in the fridge and pat dry before marinating so it doesn’t release excess water into the tray.
How do I know the fish is cooked?
Insert a fork at the thickest part: the flesh should be opaque and flake apart easily. If still translucent, roast 1–2 minutes longer and check again.
Can I make this without parboiling the potatoes?
You can, but the potatoes will need longer in the oven (add 20–25 minutes) and may dry the fish or overcook the other veg. Parboiling ensures even cooking.
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