Abstract We present a simple parameterization for coarse-resolution ocean models. To replace computationally expensive high-resolution ocean models, we develop a computationally cheap parameterization for coarse-resolution models based solely on the modification of the viscosity term in advection equations. It is meant to reproduce the mean quantities like pressure, velocity, or vorticity computed from a high-resolution reference solution or using observations. We test this new parameterization on a double-gyre quasi-geostrophic model in the eddy-permitting regime. Our results show that the proposed scheme improves significantly the energy statistics and the intrinsic variability on the coarse mesh. This method shall serve as a deterministic basis model for coarse-resolution stochastic parameterizations in future works.