A good lemon garlic butter sauce belongs in every kitchen. It comes together in minutes. I make it with butter, lemon, garlic, and a few herbs. Spoon it over fish, shrimp, scallops, lobster, and stone crabs. It also works with chicken, pasta, and vegetables.
Make this sauce with butter, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and herbs. It's an easy way to lift any seafood dinner at home.
Our Go-To Fish Sauce Growing Up
Growing up on Long Island, we had plenty of water around us and Steve the "fish man" where my dad would buy fish once a week.
A simple sauce of butter, garlic, and lemon was his favorite. He loved tartar sauce too!
We used this sauce on salmon, cod fish, and red snapper. It good on everything!
Use the best butter you can find. Kerrygold and Plugrá are both good choices. Look for wild-caught domestic fish if you can.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- lemon
- parsley
- salt and pepper
Variations
- Butter: use olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, or coconut oil
- Heat: Add a small diced habanero chili to the pan and strain before serving or sprinkle in red pepper flakes.
- Citrus: instead of lemon, use lime juice or freshly squeezed key limes
- Capers: stir in 1 tablespoon capers plus a teaspoon or two of the brine from the jar for a salty taste.
Instructions
- Zest a lemon with a plane grater removing only the yellow part and leaving the bitter white pith behind. Warm the lemon in the microwave for 30 seconds, then cut it in half and squeeze out the juice.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it just begins to foam. Add the olive oil.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 30-45 seconds, stirring, until fragrant, but not browned.
- Stir in the lemon juice and zest and let it simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the herbs, and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Cover the pot while the rest of your meal cooks
- Spoon the sauce over cooked fish or seafood right before serving.
Tips: Double the recipe if you're making a large batch of seafood or want extra sauce for dipping bread or drizzling over vegetables.
If you plan to strain the sauce, make it a few hours before serving so the flavors can blend, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer.
Serving Suggestions
Use this lemon garlic butter sauce with these fish and seafood recipes:
- Drizzle over grilled fish, fried fish, pan-seared snapper, or roasted mahi mahi, salmon.
- Serve with stone crab claws, boiled shrimp, crab cakes, or lobster tails.
- Spoon over veggies including roasted broccoli and carrots, steamed asparagus, or steamed purple sweet potatoes!
- Try it with pasta instead of marinara.
- Use with meat and chickensirloin steak with egg noodles, or grill pan chicken breasts.
Nutrition Info
- Calories: 117 kcal
- Carbohydrates: .2 g
- Protein: .2g
- Total Fat 13.1g
- Cholesterol 30mg
- Sodium 1g + the amount of salt you add
- Potassium 7.6mg
This sauce is naturally keto-friendly and gluten-free since it's made with butter, garlic, lemon, and herbs. If you substitute olive oil for butter, it's also dairy free.
See recipe card below for full nutrition panel.
Storage
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- To freeze, let the sauce cool completely, then pour it into a small freezer-safe container or ice cube tray. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or melt slowly in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often.
Easy Lemon Sauce For Fish
This lemon sauce recipe is a classic way to dress up fresh fish and seafood. It uses simple ingredients you probably already have: butter, garlic, lemon, and herbs.
The sauce comes together in minutes and adds rich flavor to any fish dinner.
Serve it on fish, shrimp, scallops, or spiny lobster tails. You can also mix it into lobster salad instead of mayo.
Keep this recipe handy for easy weeknight dinners or special occasion meals when you want a quick dip for fish, shrimp, chicken, or a drizzle over your potatoes.
FAQ
This recipe makes about 4 servings depending on how much butter you like. If serving guests, make extra so you have extra should they request more.
Black pepper gives the best flavor but you'll see little black specks in the sauce. If you want a smooth, pale look, use white pepper instead. Just know white pepper is milder and won't taste quite as bold.
A quick cream sauce with butter, garlic, lemon juice, and heavy cream works beautifully with fish. You can also make a white wine cream sauce by deglazing the pan with wine before adding cream and lemon. For something lighter, mix sour cream or Greek yogurt with lemon juice and fresh dill.
Lemon butter sauce isn't just for fish. It's great over shrimp, scallops, or crab. You can also drizzle it on steamed vegetables like broccoli or asparagus, or spoon it over chicken and rice for extra flavor.
Seafood pairs well with lots of sauces. Lemon butter is a classic and goes with almost everything. Cocktail sauce is great with chilled shrimp, crab, and lobster. Remoulade is popular with crab cakes and fried fish. Garlic aioli or mayonnaise-based dips work for grilled or pan-seared fish.
Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce For Fish
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- juice and zest of one half lemon
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Zest a lemon, taking only the yellow part and leaving the bitter white pith. Warm the lemon in the microwave for 30 seconds, then cut it in half and squeeze out the juice.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it just begins to foam. Add the olive oil.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let it brown.
- Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Turn the heat to low. Add the herbs, and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Cover the pot while the rest of your meal cooks.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for another minute. Serve warm over fish, shrimp, or vegetables.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze, let the sauce cool completely, then pour it into a small freezer-safe container or ice cube tray. - You can also roll the cooled butter into a log using parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or melt slowly in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
Amanda says
My family loved this!