My Family Is Obsessed With This 4-Ingredient Pretzel Fish

The weeknight meal rotation is a world of its own. I’ve had countless discussions with everyone from mom friends and home cooks to professional chefs and Trader Joe’s cashiers (if you know, you know) about what to cook throughout the week. It always comes down to a few topics: time (to cook and to clean up), level of difficulty, nutrition, and of course, the continuous need to switch things up. When it comes to weeknight cooking for my family, there are a few guidelines I try to stick to when mapping out meals.

What Makes a Winning Weeknight Meal

First, it has to be realistic. After a long day of work and juggling schedules and activities, I don’t have energy or time to pull out 10 pans like it’s a leisurely weekend cooking at home. I try to keep it to a three pan maximum, one of them usually being a parchment-lined sheet pan for easy roasting and baking. (While we’re on the topic, check out nine mistakes that may be sabotaging your sheet pan dinners.)

Second, it has to be nutritious and budget friendly. I aim to find proteins, vegetables, and grains that are good for us, yet accessible. That way, our weekly grocery bills don’t skyrocket and we’re still focused on eating wholesome meals.

Third, and maybe most importantly, weeknight meals have to taste delicious while remaining interesting. Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables is great, but after four to five days a week,  everything gets old quickly. We were given these glorious taste buds for a reason!

Which is why I treasure recipes that do all that work on a weeknight. And this 4-ingredient main dish that features healthy (but not expensive) cod and the salty crunch of pretzels, has turned out to be one of my all-time favorites and my family’s obsession.

Why My 4-Ingredient Pretzel Fish Will Rescue Your Weeknight Meal Rotation

This pretzel-encrusted cod is off-the-charts delicious, and I’ve been making it for my entire family for years. All you need is one sheet pan, two bowls, and four ingredients: cod filets, pretzels, honey, and Dijon mustard. Bonus: The honey Dijon mixture is used as both a coating for baking the fish, and a sauce for serving. This recipe could be the poster child for keeping the weeknight meal rotation interesting and delicious, yet quick and simple. 

How To Make 4-Ingredient Pretzel Fish

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups classic salted pretzels
• 3 tablespoons honey, divided
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 4 boneless 6 to 8 ounce cod filets (or a different white fish like flounder or tilapia)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Place the pretzels in a plastic bag or food processor. Crush with a rolling pin or can, or pulse in food processor until almost finely crushed. Place aside in a shallow dish easy for coating.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons honey and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Place 1/3 of the sauce in a second bowl, whisking in remaining tablespoon honey. Place second bowl aside for later.
3. Place cod filets on a parchment lined sheet pan topped with a cooking rack. Brush each side with olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper.
4. Use a silicone brush to coat both sides of cod filets with honey-Dijon sauce. Once coated, press each filet in pretzel crumbs to coat. Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets.
5. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes. Drizzle with remaining honey-Dijon sauce. Serve warm immediately.

Tips for Perfecting This Recipe

• Don’t overcrush the pretzels. Do not pulverize the pretzels too much in order to maintain some crunch in texture.
• No cooking rack? No problem. It’s fine to place the fish directly on the parchment–the bottoms may not crisp up as well as the top, but the texture will still have that pretzel crunch. 
• Check your cod filets to measure proper cook time. Every oven is different, and not every cod filet has the same thickness. Once fully cooked, the cod should be white and flaky through to the center, and the pretzel crust should have a deep golden hue. Check out our favorite oven thermometers here.
• Enjoy this dish right away. This dish is best served immediately, when the fish is still warm and the pretzel coating still has a fresh, oven-baked crunch after being topped with the honey Dijon drizzle.