Instant Pot Fish is a quick and easy way to prepare a healthy meal. It’s ideal for those busy evenings when you want a delicious meal without the hassle, and you can easily tailor it with your favorite seasonings or sauces to make it just right for your palate.
❤️ Why you'll love it
If you love seafood, you’ll love this recipe. This instant pot cod fish is ultra-fast, easy, and always comes out great! Not to mention, it’s low in calories and high in nutritional value – it’s a great source of protein while still being low-carb.
With minimal ingredients and a short cooking time, you couldn’t ask for an easier dinner. The best part? There’s no need to thaw your fish before cooking. Plus, you don’t have to turn on the stove or oven, making this recipe especially great for summer!
Equipment Used
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I use a 6qt instant pot for this recipe but you can use any pressure cooker you have on hand. You will also need a trivet to prevent the fish from sitting on the water.
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Codfish filet: Feel free to use frozen cod for this recipe. I used filets between 6 and 8 ounces. You can place it directly in the instant pot without thawing.
- Water: This will be placed in the instant pot before sealing and cooking the cod.
- Spices: All you need for this recipe is black pepper and salt – keeping it simple is best!
- Fresh parsley: This adds a bit of freshness after cooking the fish.
- Lemon: Citrus adds brightness and a touch of acidity to the fish.
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
- Place the trivet in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water. If you are using a larger instant pot, you will need to use 2 cups of water.
- Season the fish filets with salt and pepper.
- Cover the lid of your instant pot securely, and then turn the valve to the sealing position. Select pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, then carefully do a quick release.
- If your cod filets are thicker than ½ inch, you will need to increase the cooking time to 3 minutes.
- Serve the cooked cod with lemon slices and fresh parsley.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
You can store this recipe for between three to five days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave. For best results, do not freeze the cod after cooking.
💭 Tips and Variations
- Vary the seasonings: If you’re feeling spicy, add more to the cod than just salt and pepper. Experiment with cajun seasoning, garlic cloves, taco seasoning, or rosemary and thyme.
- Serve with melted butter: Top the fish with a pat of butter and maybe some fresh lemon juice to make this meal feel more indulgent.
- Make a dill sauce: Dill pairs amazingly with cod, or any other fish. Just mix fresh dill with mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then put it on the cod to taste.
- Don’t overcook: Overcooked cod is rubbery and chewy. Limit your cooking time to no more than four minutes – but it will likely be closer to two minutes, depending on the size of your filets.
- Use a meat thermometer: If you’re unsure if the cod is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to check its temperature. The internal temperature should be about 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make a lemon sauce: Lemon brings out the flavors of the cod, so you can prepare a lemon sauce for serving. All you have to do is slightly brown the butter on the stove, and then add in fresh lemon juice.
- Use other herbs: While this recipe calls for parsley, feel free to top with other fresh herbs like dill, basil, lemongrass, or sage.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
This instant pot cod recipe goes great with vegetable dishes like my air fryer frozen okra, air fryer broccoli, or this bacon-wrapped asparagus recipe. You could also serve it with a low-carb side like cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash.
Season this cod with my homemade fish seasoning for a little more kick. I particularly like it on top of a salad made with romaine, peppers, avocado, tomato, cotija cheese, and a creamy dressing.
It’s also great for fish tacos – just be sure to season the cod with taco seasoning before cooking, cut up the fish after cooking, put it on a lettuce wrap, and top with salsa, cheese, guacamole, cabbage, and any of your other favorite low-carb taco toppings.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
When fish is overcooked, it often gets chewy and rubbery because it loses its natural moisture. The proteins in the fish can also tighten due to it being overcooked, which makes it tough. That’s why the cooking time of this recipe is only two or three minutes – the perfect length for flaky, delicate fish!
Although it will depend on the size of the filets, most fish can be cooked in the instant pot for between 5 and 8 minutes. However, cod requires a much shorter cooking time, only 2-4 minutes.
One of the best cooking methods for cod is to cook in the instant pot for only 2 or 3 minutes. Another excellent method is to pan-fry the cod, making the skin crispy and the inside nice and flaky.
Some people think that cod needs to be rinsed before cooking, but this can spread bacteria and leave the fish a bit waterlogged. For best results with this recipe, cook the cod directly from frozen without running under water.
While brining fish is helpful, it’s not necessary. A brine mixture can add firmness and flavor to the cod – white fish can benefit from a quick and dry brine with salt. You can also dissolve sugar and salt in a bowl of water, bring it to room temperature, and submerge the fish for two hours or overnight.
📚 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Fish (Pressure Cooker Cod Fish)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cod fish filet frozen
- ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup water
- fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Place the trivet in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water. If you are using a larger instant pot, you will need to use 2 cups of water.1 cup water
- Season the fish filets with salt and pepper.4 cod fish filet, ⅓ teaspoon black pepper, ⅓ teaspoon salt
- Cover the lid of your instant pot securely, and then turn the valve to the sealing position.
- Select pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, then carefully do a quick release.
- If your cod filets are thicker than ½ inch, you will need to increase the cooking time to 3 minutes.
- Serve the cooked cod with lemon slices and fresh parsley.1 lemon, fresh parsley
Notes
- Vary the seasonings: If you’re feeling spicy, add more to the cod than just salt and pepper. Experiment with cajun seasoning, garlic cloves, taco seasoning, or rosemary and thyme.
- Serve with melted butter: Top the fish with a pat of butter and maybe some fresh lemon juice to make this meal feel more indulgent.
- Don’t overcook: Overcooked cod is rubbery and chewy. Limit your cooking time to no more than four minutes – but it will likely be closer to two minutes, depending on the size of your filets.
- Use a meat thermometer: If you’re unsure if the cod is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to check its temperature. The internal temperature should be about 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
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