This New England Baked Haddock Recipe is so comforting, delicious, and easy to make! This easy, family-friendly dinner uses only THREE ingredients and requires only FIVE MINUTES of hands on time.
If you are from New England, you have had New England Baked Haddock. If you aren’t or haven’t had it… you need to get it in your mouth ASAP. And I mean like, now.
You only need THREE ingredients for this baked haddock recipe: fish, butter, and bread crumbs, plus some salt and pepper. And lemon and parsley, if you want to get a little crazy. This is such a simple and inexpensive meal to make.
This is a very traditional dish in New England, and is often served as the fish option at weddings and other shindigs. It can be ordered at almost any seafood restaurant (sometimes, it’s made with cod), and is so melt-in-your-mouth yummy, it will be hard to go back to eating fish any other way!
New England baked haddock is perfect for when you want something pescatarian, but a little more soul-satisfying than your average light and healthy fish recipe.
It’s almost like fish meets casserole. It’s warm and hearty, and will satisfy even the meat lovingest of the meat lovers as a main course.
Traditionally, New England baked haddock is made using Ritz crackers (which are, incidentally, from New England) crumbled up with butter and spread on top of the fish, then baked in the oven with lemon and herbs. Delicious.
However, you can get the same delicious effect by using breadcrumbs and lots of butter (to get that awesome buttery Ritz-y taste).
Ritz Crackers vs. Breadcrumbs
I prefer using breadcrumbs instead of Ritz crackers. Here’s why.
For one thing, they’re already broken up, so you don’t have to worry about that extra step of smashing the Ritz crackers into crumbles. Just pour the breadcrumbs in a bowl, add some butter, and mix together.
For another thing, breadcrumbs are a little more flexible. You can easily make your own out of scratch-made or fresh bread, which means you’ll be more in control of the ingredients in the bread.
And there are so many kinds of breadcrumbs out there, including gluten-free or whole wheat versions, so it’s a great way to meet certain dietary needs easily.
That said, please feel free to use Ritz crackers, or another similar buttery cracker, in place of the breadcrumbs! Just crush them up (you can use a rolling pin to crush them in a zip-top bag) and add a little less butter than the recipe calls for with breadcrumbs.
What else can I add to the breadcrumb topping?
This recipe is SUPER basic- only three ingredients. You can add herbs, garlic (powder or fresh), and other seasonings to the breadcrumb mixture if you want!
Or you can season the fish with more than salt and pepper. I think Italian seasoning or lemon pepper would be great.
My store doesn’t carry haddock! What can I use instead?
Now that I live in Texas, it’s hard for me to find haddock at the store.
If you can’t find it, or if you just don’t like it, you can use any other mild white fish, such as tilapia, cod, pollock, flounder, or halibut. I’ve even gotten super Southern on this and used catfish- it was great!
If you like this New England Baked Haddock recipe, try these other easy fish recipes:
- Four Ingredient Southern Style Oven-Fried Catfish
- Instant Pot Fish Stew
- 10-Minute Blackened Tilapia with Avocado Cucumber Salsa
- 15-Minute Poached Salmon with Chive Butter
Here’s the printable recipe!
New England Baked Haddock
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs. haddock patted dry (or cod)
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs or seasoned, see note
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted (see notes)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- lemon wedges and fresh parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the bread crumbs (1 cup) with the rest of the 6 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the fish liberally (I used about 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper), and lay in the buttered baking dish.
- Spread bread crumbs – all of them – evenly over the top of the fish. I use my hands to sprinkle it on (it won't really stick like traditional breading – it's more like a topping).
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until fish is cooked thoroughly (and flakes easily).
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a garnish of fresh parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Looking for more flavor? This recipe is basic and simple, which I LOVE. But if you’re looking for bolder flavor, try adding spices or herbs to the breadcrumb mixture, such as fresh parsley, dill, chives, garlic (powder or fresh), onion powder, and/or lemon zest, or use Italian Style Seasoned Breadcrumbs. Grated parmesan cheese would also be delicious added in!
- If you use unsalted butter, I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon salt to the breadcrumb mixture, in addition to seasoning the fish.
- If your fish is particularly thick, you may need more time to cook it. The cooking time indicated is for fish about 3/4″-1″ thick. Keep in mind, oven temperatures vary as well.
- How to use Ritz crackers: New England Baked Haddock is traditionally made with crushed Ritz crackers. You can use them if you prefer- just put them in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Then, use in place of the breadcrumbs in the recipe and use only 3 tablespoons of melted butter instead of 6.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
This New England Baked Haddock recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious in September 2014. I’ve updated it to include a video, updated tips and tricks, and clearer instructions.
James
You forgot to mention what to do about the skin and the scales. Are the skin and scale safe to eat? Do I cook with the skin and scales down or up? Or do I have to remove the skin and the scales after the fish is cooked?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! Whenever I’ve purchased haddock, it’s always already been skinned. Fish skin is totally edible, but best prepared seared so it’s crispy (I love doing this with salmon!). For this recipe, it’s best to take off the skin. If haddock has skin at your fish counter at your grocery store, you can ask them to take the skin off for you. If you (or anyone else reading this) bakes it with the skin on, no worries! I personally would just pick away at the fish and breadcrumb topping and leave the skin on my plate. Hope that helps!
M E
Thank you so much! This was easy. It was quick to fix, and tasty.
I did not have this in Maine when growing up. I remember my mother fixing poached fish in the oven of the coal burning range.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Yoyo
So simple to make yet very delicious! We will be making this on a frequent rotation! Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Mike Maley
Why use cod for a baked haddock recipe?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Haddock can be hard to find in some places. When I lived in Texas, I frequently used the same recipe with cod. Use haddock if you have it but don’t feel like you can’t make similar result with cod!
Kris W.
My whole family loves this recipe! We prefer to use Ritz crackers, as you suggest. I typically broil the fish for 2-3 minutes after baking to get the crackers to a nice golden brown. Occasionally I’ll add some Old Bay while seasoning the fish.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tammy Provasi
Try rolling your fish in mayonnaise and thendredge in Old Bay seasoned breadcrumbs! Bake at 550 degrees for 8 minutes!!!!!!!!
PS… yes 550 degrees! No more than 9 minutes if more time is needed!!! YUM!!!!!!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Bonnée
I made this tonight for dinner. To lighten the recipe I melted “I Can’t Brlieve Its’S Not Butter Light. After drying Haddock it i dredged fish in melted butter, sprinkled with Ritz, salt and pepper. Baked as you suggested. Sprinkled with lemon and browned under broiler. Awesome!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
TheGaby
It was delicious. Per your ideas, I grated the zest of one lemon into the breadcrumb topping and that was awesome. The whole family loved the fish. Had enough left over and gave some to our neighbor and he loved it too!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Melissa
Delicious! I went the Ritz cracker route. Used 2 small pieces of Cobia on one side of the pan and asparagus drizzled with olive oil and minced garlic on the other. I always line my baking sheet with foil and as long as you clean the prep while the pan is in the oven there’s practically zero clean up after dinner. Bonus!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great tip about the foil for easy clean up!
Jen Keniry
Any tips for cooking on a grill rather than in the oven? Thinking the same recipe but using a foil pan?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes I would just use a foil pan or foil boat, leaving the top uncovered so the breadcrumbs get crispy! Not sure on timing, so keep an eye on it :-) Great idea!
Julissa
Great recipe! Fish came out amazing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Nancy
I’m from New England and normally make this with Ritz, but the breadcrumbs work great! It was my first time trying that.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I love that you don’t have to worry about crushing the breadcrumbs so it’s a little easier – just mix them with the butter! That said, Ritz are delicious to use for this recipe. Glad you liked it :-)
Dan
I made this with panko,a T of italia N seasoning ,2 Tbs extra butter,and some parmesan cheese on top. Light broil at end. Absolutely the best baked haddock I’ve ever had. Not swimming in butter,just perfect. Thanx.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thanks for sharing your added ingredients! I love adding Italian seasoning and parmesan to mine sometimes, too.
Laura Green
Classic, simple, delicious, thank you! A great treatment for fresh haddock and a great use for those breadcrumbs I make and stick in the freezer every time I have a bit of leftover/unfinished bread. I added a squirt of lemon to the butter and garnished generously with parsley. Served with corn, potato salad, green salad–New England summer on a plate!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Love the idea of adding some lemon to the butter. Sounds like a delicious meal – glad you liked it!
Steve
Impossible to spread crumb/butter mixture evenly and stick to fish. Does not specify to do one or both sides of fish. Fish fell apart when handling. I threw the whole thing away and went out for fish. Worst recipie I’ve ever tried to make.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a frustrating experience! Sounds like you may have benefitted from watching the one-minute video for the recipe, which is located in the recipe card in the post. To clarify, the crumb/butter mixture is more like a topping, rather than a traditional breading. The fish goes in the buttered baking dish, then the crumb mixture is spread on top of the fish (I use my hands to kind of sprinkle it on), then baked. Fish often falls apart after cooking – I recommend a fish spatula to get it out of the dish easily and have it stay together. Hope that helps (to you or anyone else reading this who is concerned), and better luck next time!
PS- I did go back to the recipe card and specify things a bit more clearly based on this feedback :-)
Craig Mcadams
Fantastic and very well written for me. I had fresh fish and it was a gourmet result. Glad to use your recipe and not ruin a great source of fresh fish.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Kate
But, it says ‘sprinkle’ , ‘ over the top’ and ‘it is a topping’.
And why would you throw away perfectly good food because it fell apart? Who cares? If it tastes good, sprinkle the pieces over rice and peas and eat it. ?
Elizabeth Lindemann
To be fair, I did update the recipe directions to explain it more clearly using those phrases after this comment. As for throwing away fish because it fell apart? Well, I agree with you 100% on that one!
Kris P
This steve guy threw out fish because it fell apart? Not sure if you are serious or this is a joke. Maybe a personal vendetta against the author. Good recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked the recipe :-)
Kevin
LOL! Because you can’t cook, you take it out on the Elizabeth! This isn’t rocket science. Figure it out Karen!
penobscot dan
I missed those days when I was young enough to get away with throwing a temper tantrum, instead of tossing it you could have made a fish chowder.
Morrissey
Put the recipe at the top of the page. It is SO annoying to have to scroll down as the page loads
Elizabeth Lindemann
I totally understand this! However, there are actually a few reasons why the recipe is at the bottom of the post (and I promise, it’s not to annoy you) :-) Food blogging is a complicated business, and this is a topic that comes up a lot, so I actually wrote a whole post on it! The long and short of it is: I make money from you scrolling (for a free recipe), and also there are SEO reasons for placing the recipe at the bottom (so if you found this recipe on google, you may not have even found it at all if I had put the recipe at the top of the page). Here’s the post explaining why food blog posts are long: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/why-are-food-blog-posts-so-long/ and here’s a recent TV interview I did explaining the concept as well: https://www.thelisttv.com/the-list/why-do-food-bloggers-make-their-content-so-long-5-26-21/ Also, there’s a jump to recipe link at the top of each post you can just click if you really don’t want to scroll.