New England Baked Haddock
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, though Ritz crackers are undoubtedly more traditional for New England baked fish. 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 melted 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! I love to add fresh minced garlic, lemon zest, and parsley to the melted butter mixture before adding the breadcrumbs. The warmth of the melted butter infuses the garlic flavor all throughout and it’s scrumptious!
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?
When I lived in Texas, it was a small miracle when they had haddock in the store. I’m grateful to be back in New England where I consistently have access to haddock!
The best substitute for haddock is cod, which is also often used in this classic New England baked fish recipe. The filets are often a bit thicker, so you may need to cook it for a little longer.
You can use any other mild white fish, such as tilapia, 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
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New England Baked Haddock
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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.
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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.
This is SO good! I made this just as written with my homemade low carb breadcrumbs. This recipe is for sure a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you liked it!
Nailed it! I’m from RI and cooked in a few restaurants as a kid. I just bought some 8oz stoneware au gratins to make this exact dish. I found your recipe just to confirm how to make it, it’s been many years! Although I’m a ritz fan I did use breadcrumbs this time with a little lemon zest. A splash of white wine on the fish. Perfect. Thank you.
So glad you liked it! I live in RI now as well! Love the idea of adding a splash of white wine.
I found this recipe last minute trying to figure out how to cook haddock and wow! 10/10 so delicious!
So glad you liked it!
I added Italian seasoning, thyme, grated parm cheese & garlic powder to the breadcrumb mixture. Also added a small amount of white wine to the bottom of the dish with the melted butter. It was delicious! Simple and quick meal.
So glad you liked it!
I have lived in New England all my life and grew up directly on the ocean. I don’t eat a lot of fish but fresh haddock (not previously frozen) was on sale today for $10.00 a pound so I decided to buy it.
I selected your recipe for its simplicity. I didn’t want to crush Ritz crackers either even though it’s not hard. I added some garlic powder and some dried parsley flakes to the bread crumbs but it’s not needed. I baked it in a glass pan so that’s the equivalent of 375 degrees. It took 20 minutes to achieve flakiness. My family enjoyed it. Thank you for the recipe..
So glad you liked it!
Excellent!
So glad you liked it!
We really liked our haddock dinner with this recipe! I added seasoning to our Italian breadcrumbs which ended up being a tad too salty but still good. I love the simplicity and lightness of the dish. I did finish the fish under the broiler on high about 3 min to add more color. Served with cauliflower steaks and fresh strawberries for some color on the plate. Will make this again!
So glad you liked it!
My go to recipe! I always use Ritz crackers instead of plain breadcrumbs and salt and pepper the fish first before adding Ritz cracker crumbs. Delicious!
So glad you liked it!
This is a go to recipe now. We love it!
So glad you liked it!
This is the same recipe that my grandmother always used my grandfather was a NewEngland fisherman before he passed away…. My grandmother would never change this recipe she always said that her great grandmother was the best cook…I have tried other ways to cook haddock but this is by far the best recipe that I have ever used.. My grandmother was the best chef that I have ever known…An I have all of her family recipes that I treasure with all of my heart!!! My grown children still use these recipes on a daily basis!!! Which also include wonderful homemade Italian recipes yummy yummy to everyone’s tummy…I have been asked to sell her recipes several times but I would never do that even for a million dollars!!!! I tell my children that they NEED to keep it in
So glad you liked it!
Yep, this one is a keeper! Great with fresh haddock up here in New England. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
If you do this with catfish or trout, use cornbread stuffing mix instead of bread crumbs. You can thank me later.
Oh wow, that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Far too many bread crumbs,ruins the taste of the haddock,go easy on the salt.
Feel free to take the amount of breadcrumbs down a notch if you prefer!
Agree 100%
Feel free to use fewer breadcrumbs if you prefer! Personally, I can’t get enough of them!
I was looking for a good but easy fish recipe, and this was fantastic.
So glad you liked it!
Excellent
So glad you liked it!
Enjoyed your Baked Haddock Recipe, I used my
Air Fryer rather than the Oven. Turned out okay and
was delicious [ I used Cod ]. Any Air Fryer Recipe’s from
your kitchen to Our kitchen, anytime.’
So glad you liked it! Great idea to try the air fryer. I’m behind the times with air fryers but I recommend heading over to http://www.myforkinglife.com for some awesome air fryer (and other gadget) recipes!
This recipe is perfection in taste and simplicity. Family has been wanting to eat more fish (which I admittedly don’t cook enough of), so this is going to become a go-to. Thanks.
So glad you liked it!
I used Ritz crackers with a little dill and parmesan cheese mixed in. Cooked a little longer than this recipe because they were bigger fillets. Put under broiler around 5 min to crisp the top. The recipe and the fish were excellent!
So glad you liked it!
This recipe is excellent and so simple, easy and quick. A winner. Thank you.
So glad you liked it!
This worked perfectly for me exactly as written. The fish was moist and cooked through and the preparation was simple and straightforward. It let the sweet taste of the haddock shine. It really reminded me of meals in seafood restaurants during my college days in Boston. Thanks!
So glad you liked it!