Lemon Butter Fish
Tender, juicy, flaky fish with a lemon-garlic sauce that will knock your socks off. A 20 minute dinner recipe - so fast, so easy, so good!
Ingredients
- ½ cup cold salted butter , sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 ¼ pounds orange roughy, snapper, sole, or rock fish fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 wedges lemon
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until melted and foam has subsided, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley. Set aside.
- Season fish with salt and pepper; to taste. Dredge fish in flour until evenly coated, shaking off excess flour.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add fish to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with butter and garnished with lemon wedges, if desired.
Notes
- Salted butter goes a long way. Kerrygold salted butter will work very well here (along with any other European style butter) due to its higher fat content (82% vs 80% for standard butter), providing a richer, creamier, smoother emulsification for your butter sauce.
- Pat dry. Pat the fish completely dry with paper towels to remove any surface moisture (moisture equals steam), allowing for a better sear and achieving a crispy, golden-brown crust.
- Use a neutral oil. Skip the olive oil and use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable oil or peanut oil for pan-frying the fish, yielding a crispy exterior without burning the fish.
- Mix it up. Add additional garlic cloves or any other herbs on hand (basil, thyme, dill or rosemary), or even a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Cook in batches. Work in batches to properly pan-fry the fish for that favorited golden brown crust. An overcrowded pan will steam the fish instead.
- Use fresh lemons. Fresh lemon juice is ideal here for its bright, vibrant, strong flavors, cutting through the richness of the butter, whereas bottled lemon juice may have a muted, flat taste.
- Add a splash of white wine. If you happen to have an open bottle of wine, add a splash of wine to the sauce. It will cut through the richness and further balance the flavors, transforming the lemon butter sauce into restaurant-quality goodness. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or unoaked Chardonnay are all solid options.
- Let it rest. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving, allowing the juices to redistribute.