Lemon Butter Fish
Make easy lemon butter fish with pan-seared flaky white fish fillets, garlic, fresh lemon, and parsley. A simple skillet dinner ready in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, about ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon capers optional
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For The Fish
- 2 white fish fillets, about 5 to 6 ounces each
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Make The Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
- Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and capers. Season with a drop of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan to keep the sauce warm while the fish cooks.
Cooking The Fish
- Pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with a little kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the fish and cook 3 minutes on the first side, until it releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- Transfer the fish to plates. Spoon the warm lemon butter sauce over the top and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Cooking Fish with Skin On
For fish with skin, such as red snapper, cook it skin-side down first. Make sure the skin is scaled and the fillets are very dry before they go into the skillet.
Press the fillets gently with a fish spatula for the first 15 to 20 seconds so the skin stays flat against the pan and does not curl.
Cook the fish skin-side down for about 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover fish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
You can reheat it in a skillet over low heat with a little extra butter. Cover the pan for a few minutes to keep the fish moist.
Nutrition
Calories: 371.5kcalCarbohydrates: 1.4gProtein: 29.5gTotal Fat: 27.3gSaturated Fat: 9.5gCholesterol: 82.5mgSodium: 437.3mgPotassium: 621.5mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.3g
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