How to Bake Haddock

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: March 28, 2019

If you enjoy the mild taste and texture of white fish, try cooking haddock. This lean fish cooks up firmly which makes it great for most fish recipes. To highlight the flavor of haddock, top it with a lemon garlic rub and bake it. For a classic, crunchy texture, use a simple cracker topping before you bake it. You can also make a flavorful oyster dressing that bakes with the haddock in a casserole dish.

Ingredients

Simple Baked Haddock with Lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 4-ounce (113 g) fillets of haddock
Green onion for garnish

Makes 2 servings

New England Baked Haddock

2 pounds (907 g) skinless haddock fillets
Salt to taste
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (about 34 crackers)
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
Lemon and parsley for garnish

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Baked Haddock with Oyster Dressing

1 pint (450 g) oysters cut in pieces
1/2 cup (40 g) coarse cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm milk
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) pepper
2 teaspoons (9 g) melted butter
2 tablespoons (15 g) chopped celery
2 haddock fillets (about 2 pounds or 907 total)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Makes 6 servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Simple Baked Haddock with Lemon

1
Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 350 °F (177 °C). Get out a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Set the pan aside while you prepare the fish.^{[1]
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2
Mash the garlic with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and place them in a small bowl or a mortar. Mash the minced garlic with a fork or the pestle. Mash in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of olive oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.^{[2]
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3
Cover the fish with the garlic lemon mixture. Lay two 4-ounce (113 g) fillets of haddock on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon half of the garlic lemon mixture on 1 fillet and spread the rest on the other fillet. Spread the mixture evenly across the fish.^{[3]
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4
Bake the haddock for 20 to 25 minutes. Put the sheet of haddock in the preheated oven and bake it until it flakes. The fish should be completely cooked throughout. This should take 20 to 25 minutes.^{[4]
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5
Serve the fish. Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the fish with sliced green onion. Serve the haddock while it's still hot. You can store leftover baked haddock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making New England Baked Haddock

1
Preheat the oven and prepare a baking dish. Turn the oven on to 350 °F (177 °C). Get out a casserole-sized baking dish and grease it with butter, shortening, or oil.^{[6]
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- You can use a 9 x 13-inch (22 x 33-cm) baking dish or a 3-quart (2.8 liter) baking dish.
2
Dry the haddock and remove any pin bones. Rinse 2 pounds (907 g) of skinless haddock fillets under cold water. Use paper towels to pat the fish dry. Feel the fillets for any pin bones sticking out and remove them.^{[7]
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- You can pull the pin bones out with tweezers or long nose pliers.
3
Cut and salt the fish, if necessary. If you have large fillets of haddock or if some of them are unevenly sized, cut the fish into serving sized pieces. Try to cut them to a similar size so they'll bake evenly. Lay the fish in the prepared pan and sprinkle them with a little salt to taste.^{[8]
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4
Crush the crackers and melt the butter. Open 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (about 34 crackers). Empty the crackers into a food processor and pulse them until they're coarsely crushed. You should also melt 5 tablespoons (70 g) of unsalted butter in a small prep bowl.^{[9]
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- If you don't have a food processor, you can put the crackers into a resealable plastic bag. Remove the excess air and seal the bag. Crush the crackers in the bag with a rolling pin.
5
Mix the cracker coating and spread it over the fish. Dump the crushed crackers into the bowl of melted butter. Stir the mixture until it's combined. Divide and spread the topping evenly among the tops of the fish fillets.^{[10]
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6
Bake the haddock for 20 minutes. Put the baking dish of haddock in the preheated oven. Cook the fish until it's completely hot throughout and it flakes when you rub a fork over it. This should take about 20 minutes.^{[11]
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- If you have thick fillets, they may take longer to cook.
7
Serve the New England baked haddock. Remove the baking dish from the oven and serve the fish immediately with lemon and parsley. While you can store leftover fish in the refrigerator, the topping will become soggy the longer it's refrigerated. Use the fish within 3 to 4 days.^{[12]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Baked Haddock with Oyster Dressing

1
Preheat the oven and grease a baking dish. Turn the oven on to 375 °F (191 °C). Get out a 9 x 13-inch (22 x 33-cm) baking dish or a 3-quart (2.8 liter) baking dish. Grease the bottom of the pan with cooking spray, butter, or shortening. Set the dish aside.
2
Chop the oysters. Insert an oyster knife into the side of an oyster and remove the top shell. Remove the oyster meat to a cutting board. Once you've shucked all of the oysters, chop the meat into small pieces. You should end up with 1 pint (450 g) of oysters pieces.^{[13]
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3
Combine the oyster dressing. Transfer the oyster pieces to a mixing bowl. Crush enough crackers to measure 1/2 cup (40 g) of coarse crumbs. Add the crumbs to the oysters in the bowl along with:^{[14]
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- 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm milk
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) pepper
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) melted butter
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) chopped celery, optional
4
Lay the haddock in the dish and coat them with beaten egg. Crack 1 egg into a prep bowl and use a fork to beat it. Lay 2 haddock fillets in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Brush the fillets with the beaten egg.^{[15]
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5
Spread the oyster dressing in the pan. Ensure that the dressing covers the haddock fillets.^{[16]
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6
Bake the haddock with oyster dressing for 35 to 40 minutes. Put the casserole dish in the preheated oven and cook the fish. Run a fork over the fish to see if it flakes. Once the fish flakes and is cooked throughout, remove the dish. Serve the haddock and dressing while it's hot.^{[17]
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- You can store the leftover fish and dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.