This Italian Cod Traybake is an easy meal all made in one pan, with crispy pancetta wrapped fish and tasty Mediterranean style flavours.
It’s a little bit of sunshine on your plate but – BONUS – takes very little effort or time!
We all love a one pan meal and this is a favourite. Light, fresh flavours all in one traybake. No standing by the stove for this Italian-style Cod Traybake recipe.
If you’re trying to introduce more fish into your family’s diet and are looking for new ways to cook it, this is an easy recipe that is low maintenance, while not compromising serving up a mouthwatering meal. Simple, delicious, full of nutrient-rich vegetables.
What’s more, if you’re worried about overcooking or faffing about with fish as an ingredient, this one pan baked method solves that issue. Pancetta not only tastes amazing but also reduces the chances of the cod drying out.
Why you’ll love this cod loin recipe
⭐️ All in one-pan for no faff
⭐️ Light, flavourful, perfect for summer days
⭐️ An easy way to eat more fish
About this Cod Traybake
If you’re nervous about cooking with fish, this is a fantastic introductory recipe (although I always try to keep it simple so you can check out my other fish recipes too).
That’s because it’s protected to some degree by the pancetta and it doesn’t require cooking carefully over a hot pan.
I like to use cod loins for this recipe as they’re the thick part of the fish, so nice and chunky. If you use a thinner cut it may cook quicker, so adjust cooking time accordingly.
This is a great family-friendly fish recipe to try out with kids because the flavours are nice and delicate and the consistency is meaty. Other great white fish recipes to try out along these lines are my Easy Fish Stew or Homemade Fish Fingers.
Italian Cod Traybake Ingredients
- Olive oil – Not extra virgin
- New potatoes – Regular potatoes are fine too, just adjust your cooking time accordingly
- Onions – I use red but you can use white too
- Red peppers – I use red but choose any. The sweetness of red, orange or yellow do work best here though
- Garlic – Use whole cloves in this dish. See recipe notes
- Cherry tomatoes – I use vine tomatoes but regular cherry ones will be OK
- Italian herb seasoning – A good quality dried herb mix here is fine, or dried oregano if you have that
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cod loin fillets – Boneless and skinless
- Pancetta
- Black olivesBasil leaves – To garnish
How to make this Easy Cod Traybake
- Pop your potatoes covered in oil into the oven for 15 minutes on 200C.
- Add your other vegetables, cook for another 15 minutes.
- Wrap the fish fillets with the pancetta.
- Finally, add the wrapped fish to the tray with the tomatoes and olives and put back into the oven until cooked through (approx 10-15 minutes).
Substitutions
- Bacon – Smoky pancetta is an Italian cured ham which gives a lot of flavour here. You can substitute it for any thin cut of bacon, or streaky bacon if you prefer. Thick cut may not cook quickly enough to be done in the time it takes for the fish to cook.
- White fish – You can swap the cod for another white fish if you prefer. Some are better value for money and just as easy to get hold of, such as pollock or basa.
- Veggies – You can use up whatever veggies you prefer or need using up for this. Asparagus or green beans, for example, would be great.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat it fully before serving – make sure it’s piping hot.
In the freezer This recipe doesn’t freeze particularly well as the fish might break apart when defrosting and reheating again. That said, you can freeze it, it just won’t be at its best.
Top tip for making this easy Cod Traybake
Be careful not to overcook the fish
To ensure you don’t overcook the baked cod, check to see if there’s any white residue coming out, as this is a sign that it’s overcooking. Take it straight out of the oven if this is happening.
What to do with the garlic
There are whole cloves of garlic in this dish. As they roast in their skins they become soft and delicious. Don’t try and crush the garlic and mix in before cooking as the little pieces will burn.
When serving this to children, I just remove the roasted garlic from the skins and squish into the saucy juice.
Cod Traybake FAQs
If the fish is cooked but not your pancetta, pop it under a very hot grill for a couple of minutes to brown – or you could even blast it with a kitchen blow torch if you have one!
Yes, you can! Just defrost it beforehand so it cooks properly with the rest of the traybake.
I have lots. If you’re trying to introduce it a little more to beginners, I would recommend my Easy Fish Pie, Classic Tuna Pasta Salad or my Salmon Burgers.
You could also try my Salmon Fish Fingers, Cajun Salmon Tacos, Prawn Tacos or Prawn Pasta!
It sure is. You get all of that Mediterranean goodness and the fish is high in protein, low in fat, and a good source of B12. All-in-all, a super nutritious meal.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Italian Cod Traybake {with Pancetta}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 750 g New potatoes Cut into chunks
- 2 Red onions Peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 Red peppers Deseeded and cut into chunky wedges
- 8 Garlic cloves Whole, unpeeled
- 400 g Cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 500 g Cod loin fillets Boneless and skinless
- 95 g Pancetta Or 8 slices
- 150 g Black olives Pitted and drained
To garnish
- A handful of basil leaves
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 200C.
- Put the potatoes and 1 tbsp of the oil onto a baking sheet. Cover the potatoes with the oil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Add the onions, peppers, garlic cloves with the herbs and salt and pepper and the extra 1tbsp of oil. Mix thoroughly and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wrap the cod loin fillets in the pancetta.
- Remove the tray from the oven, add the tomatoes, olives and cod fillets wrapped in pancetta for another 15 minutes or so until cooked through (be careful not to overcook!)
- When cooked, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve been careful not to take too much on over the holidays so fitting it in hasn’t been too bad so far, although I’ve got a few half-finished posts I really should get a move on with. I think it’s going to be more tricky over the next few weeks as Jon’s off work too so we’ll be wanting to spend more time doing family things.
I love the sound of this fish dish, and my boys love all the ingredients too (well expect the olives but I can pinch theirs and have more on my portion 🙂 ) so it would go down really well as a family dinner too.
Laura says
This sounds delicious, thanks
Lizzy says
Delicious! Where is the roasting fish from please Sarah?
Sarah Barnes says
It’s an old baking sheet, sorry! I think it was from Sainsbury’s!
Marie says
Very tasty. I might keep the potatoes separate next time so that they are more crispy. I added some asparagus 10 minutes before the end.
Caroline says
Yes we agree, we’ll keep the potatoes seperate next time too. We prefer them crisper.
Simon Collin says
Just made this for 5 of us . Did what others said and did the potatoes separate . Absolutely delicious . Was worried it may be dry , but not in the slightest . Spooned the juices over the potatoes and roasted veg . Devine
Sam says
So easy to make and delicious!! Perfect for a quick after work / school meal.
Katie Hyde says
I made this tonight, another amazing recipe! Husband fussy 7 yr old and 10 yr old clean plates ! Thanks so much. Yummy very yummy.
Super quick for a healthy after school/work dinner
Rachel says
Really yummy and easy to make. My partner isn’t always keen on fish but he loved this!
Karen H says
This is an amazing dish, nice and easy, so tasty. The whole family loves it. I cooked the tatties a tad longer before putting the rest in to make them crispier x show stopper, winner delicious. Xx thank you as always x
Helen says
We had this tonight – it was delicious! Used proscuttio instead of pancetta as it looked like this was used in the video and I thought we’d prefer that!