This Baked Fish recipe comes with a Lemon Cream Sauce and is made in ONE baking dish! Yup, just throw it all in one pan, bake it, and you end up with a tender juicy fish in a creamy lemon sauce. The the juices of the fish mingles in with the sauce while it’s baking, as if made from the best fish stock!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Baked Fish
If the idea of baked fish conjures up the words pale, colourless and bland, then this one’s going to be a game changer for you!!
It’s an effortless 15 minute recipe one pan recipe where fish is baked with a creamy lemon sauce. It’s the sort of recipe you can make no matter how hectic your household is, or on a lazy Sunday night because it’s this easy:
Mix butter, cream, garlic, mustard and lemon;
Pour over fish; and
Bake – no flipping required.
And out comes this – tender baked fish fillets with a beautiful lemon cream sauce that’s perfect with fish!
This recipe will work for most fish, but is especially great for white fish fillets
When you bake fish, you just can’t get colour on it like you can with pan frying, and this means loss of flavour. So I like to either have a flavoured crumb, like I do for my other Emergency Fish recipe, Parmesan Crusted Fish (10 minutes, no messy dredging!) or a Sauce.
The Lemon Cream Sauce for Fish
This recipe really is all about that Lemon Cream Sauce for fish which is made in the same pan while the fish is baking. It’s a simple sauce which actually tastes pretty unimpressive when you first mix it up.
But once it’s baked and the fish juices mix in with it, it transforms into an incredible sauce. It’s basically like making a sauce with real homemade fish stock – just like fine dining restaurants do!
What this tastes like
The recipe name implies that the sauce is rich but actually, it is not! I describe it as kind of light and fresh, yet a bit creamy. You will be thankful there is a decent amount of sauce because it’s perfect for mopping up with bread or spooning over mashed potato!
What you need
Not very much!
White Fish fillet – any fairly flat white fish fillet is fine here, about 2 cm/ 4/5 ” thick or less. Any thicker, and the fish will take longer to bake which will thicken the sauce too much so you’ll need to thin it with a splash of water.
Escallot/French onion – those small onions, they’re more delicate than normal onions so they work well in a quick fish recipe like this. Use the white part of green onions as a sub, or really finely minced normal onion.
Dijon Mustard – sauce thickener. Can sub with other non seedy mustards.
Garlic – goes in almost everything in my world!
Cream – use heavy / thickened cream if you can, to help with sauce consistency. Low cal sub – evaporated milk. It’s not quite the same, but I’ve been known to use it when I’m trying to be “healthier” 😂
Butter – there is no substitute! 😂
Lemon – lime would work in an emergency situation. Sub: 1/3 cup white wine simmered to reduce to 2 tbsp, use in place of lemon in recipe.
Really QUICK Baked Fish Fillets
I say this is a quick recipe – and I mean it. It takes longer to heat up the oven than it does to prepare this recipe! Watch the video and see!
Dinner on the table in just 15 minutes. Tender, juicy fish with a creamy lemon sauce. A really fantastic way to make baked fish – it’s so, so good! – Nagi x
Try these on the side:
Everyday Cabbage Salad, big juicy Greek Salad
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Dressing, French Dressing or Italian Dressing
Potatoes au Gratin, Easy Creamy Potato Casserole or Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
And more fish recipes:
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce (One Baking Dish!)
Ingredients
- 4 x 150- 180g / 5 – 6 oz fish fillets , about 1.5cm / 1/2″ thick, skinless and boneless (Note 1)
- 50g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup cream, heavy / thickened (See Note 2 for sub options)
- 1 – 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp eschallots (French onion) , finely chopped (Note 3)
- Fresh parsley and lemon slices , to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (all oven types).
- Place fish in a baking dish – ensure the fish isn’t crammed in too snugly. See video or photos in post. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
- Place butter, cream, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 sec bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Sprinkle fish with shallots, then pour over sauce.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until fish is just cooked. Remove from oven and transfer fish to serving plates. Spoon over sauce, and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if using.
Recipe Notes:
- salmon (too fatty, sauce splits)
- very thin delicate fish like flounder, Dover Sole
- small whole fish like sardines or mackerel
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2016, updated with much needed new photos, brand new video and updated writing. No change to recipe, it’s a firm reader fave that I wouldn’t dare change!
Life of Dozer
Yesterday was a day of experimenting with slow cooked curries. So there was plenty of downtime spent doing THIS!
And from when I originally published this recipe in October 2016:
From a little camping trip last weekend – getting smashed in the waves at beautiful Jimmy’s Beach, NSW Australia. He’s a sucker for punishment, that one. I really have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get swept away by a rip!!
Hi Nagi! This looks like a perfect weekday recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Just one question. Instead of microwaving the butter can I heat it on my stove top?
Sure could Nikita! (just over a low heat)
This was just stunning Nagi! I used Jon Dory and served it with baked potato, corn on cob & broccolini… Wouldn’t change a thing!
Perfect Rebecca!
Cooked this tonight for dinner using gem fish…..delicious and so easy…thank you Nagi❤️
You’re so welcome Liz, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Nagi, this sounds delicious. I’ve gone back to see if anyone has asked, but it seems not. Have you tried or do you think it would work with chicken if it was flattened? Cheers.
Hi Lorraine, it definitely would! Might be nice to sear the chicken first to get a little colour and flavour 🙂
Hi Nagi, thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
As there are only two of us would I have to halve the sauce ingredients or would that make it too dry?
Hi Nagi, I was just in Coles and they have blue grenadier from NZ. Would that be ok in this dish?
Hi Miranda, here in NZ we call it hoki. I actually used this recipe for some last night and it was perfect! I did substitute fat-reduced cooking cream, and used less butter, but the flavours were divine 🙂
Classic, simple, tasty ! Normally do not use cream but there is so little for four serves I am not going to race for yoghurt 🙂 ! Loved to have a quiet peak at you two having a snooze . . . ( PS – say thank you to your bro – all fixed it seems!)
Question please Nagi – what do you think if try this recipe on Scallop?
Does this work with halibut?
Wow! Cream in a baked fish dish! Who’da thunk it? Am looking forward to trying this recipe, I only wish we could get a fish called “monk fish” here in northern New York State, but it is very hard to find. Other fish will work fine, I am sure — hope Dozer got a couple of bites too!
Wow! I hate fish and this makes me want to try it.
I was drooling the entire time while watching this video! Can’t wait to make it this week!
I was drooling the entire time while watching thunder video! Can’t wait to make it this week!
Would cod work with this as well?
I never, ever comment, but this time I have to! I have spent the last 20+ years trying to get my hubby to eat fish. He pulls his nose up at every recipe I try! Made this tonight, and got the usual “Ugh, fish!!”. Silence as he ate it, then, when he took his (clean) plate to the kitchen, he saw that there was a piece of fish left in the dish, and………… he asked if he could have it!!!! Success, after all this time! THANK YOU!!
That’s the best compliment ever! You’ve converted him Peni!!!
Made this with Tasmanian trumpeter today. Added 5 mins to the cooking time and it was perfect. Lunch guests impressed.
Sounds fabulous Gaon!
Of course I stumbled on this without any cream. A little flour in the butter then skim milk to make a roux on the stovetop. I had some garlic mustard aoli that worked well. It was a little mustardy so I added some sour cream. Tarragon was my seasoning of choice and Essence of Emeril sprinkled on the fish. Outstanding as I’m sure the original is.
I forgot – served on a bed of jasmine rice.
Delicious!!!
The sauce is perfectly amazing lemony yummyness! 😉
I added capers to ours. Also topped w red onion cut fairly large and a whole jalapeño for some heat. Paired it w a light couscous and a salad. So good! Thanks!
Sounds amazing Kelly!
Thanks Nagi
This has become my go to recipe for a last minute dinner party. It’s quick, easy and delicious. I place lemon slices in with the fish while it bakes, it’s gives it an extra lemony flavor which I like.
Thank you
Ive made this 5 or 6 times. Its quick, easy and oh so deeelicious!
Is there any alternative to mustard? Or is it ok to omit it? Thanks.
Hi Mildred, you can just leave it out if you prefer – N x