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!!
I was looking for a quick easy fish recipe and this one popped up first on google. The only thing I didn’t do (and so glad I didn’t) was pat the defrosted fish dry. Why? I knew there would be sufficient sauce left over to put in a container and save until the next day when I cooked some prawns into it and served it over pasta. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. I will be a devoted follower for now on and have already printed a number of your recipes.
That’s awesome Alisa, thanks so much for the great feedback!
Hi Nagi! I’m so excited to make this for a dinner party (my guess are all foodies) but had a few questions for you first. I don’t own a microwave so how would you recommend I make the sauce? Would this work with Chilean sea bass and if so, how much longer do I need to cook the fish for? Which side dish works best with this recipe mashed potatoes or your garlic butter rice with kale? Thanks SO much in advance for your help xo
So easy and so delicious. It tasted like something you’d pay a fortune for in a high end restaurant. I’ve never been confident when cooking fish but this recipe is fool proof. Second of the fish recipes I’ve tried, I’m excited that there are so many more for me to try. Nagi thank you for sharing your lovely recipes.
I’m so glad you gave it a go Gabriella!
Simply delish!!!!! Will make this again and again.
Wahoo, that’s great Lesa!
Hi Nagi, what will I need to do differently if I need to reheat this dish before eating? Thanks!
Hi Sylvana, I’d cook it as is then just cover and reheat in the microwave 😊
We have a house full of guests visiting this weekend, and I cooked this recipe tonight for dinner. It was WONDERFUL!!! Not one bite left, everyone really enjoyed it. Restaurant quality. I used thicker cuts of sea bass and just extended the cooking time, and it was perfect. Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes you share!!!
I’m so happy to hear that Angela!!
I made this today for dinner it was delicious!!!!
Wahoo!
I tried this dish tonight for Good Friday meal was gorgeous and so simple had with mash and mushy peas as we’re northern!! Will definitely do again!!
Cooked for lunch today, Good Friday. Substituted non-dairy cream. Family verdict? Absolutely delicious 😋 This recipe must be added to our family meals.
I have made this recipe (creamy baked fish( and it was terrific both times. I am going to look at more of your recipes because I like your attitude toward food and recipes.
Thanks for the inspiration.
You’re so welcome Lynne! ❤️
Hi Nagi. Just dropping in about this re I’ve! Everyone I serve it to loves it! 10 stars
Wahoo, thanks Bonnie!
Wow, I could live on Nagi recipes alone. This was excellent. So far I have loved everything that I’ve tried except the mushroom rice for some reason.
I agree with you. I have tried many if her recipes and never been disappointed. I always try to remember Dozer. I love her dog. Lol
Great recipe. I make it over and over. I want to say that I absolutely love your recipes, you, and Dozer. We lost our beautiful golden retriever/ yellow lab cross this year and I miss him every day. I now get my doggie fix through your updates on Dozer. I have followed you for a few years and for a while recently stopped getting the emails and panicked! I found them in my spam so have fixed that and am back on track. Thanks so much from a Canadian fan.
Thanks so much Donna!!
My husband and daughter love fish, so I’m learning how to like it as well. This was my first time cooking fish and it turned out incredible!! I want to drink the sauce! I used a sauce pan and cooked to shallots and garlic in the butter for about 5 minutes, then added the rest of the sauce ingredients and it was divine! Thank you for a great, easy recipe!
That’s awesome Renee, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made the Baked fish with Lemon cream sauce with thick pieces of cod and it was delicious
I baked for about 5 min. longer. Flakey and delicious
My husband had seconds! Do you know how amazing that is? He doesn’t like white fish unless it’s covered in breadcrumbs and fried! LOL Thanks for the family friendly recipe that everyone who tried it, liked it. The 5-year-old claims to only like fish when it’s in sushi or as fish sticks like her father.
You’ve converted him Ghislaine!! Awesome!
I realized after I made this comment that there is another fish recipe he likes. Long ago I had saved and made your Crispy Chinese Rice Paper Wrapped Fish recipe! I think he’ll happily eat any recipe you post. Hmmm, he claims to not like eggs….
Which fish would you recommend?
Any white fish fillets 🙂 Barra, snapper, dory, ling, tilapia, even basa is fine 🙂 N x
I have always pan-fried fish but have never really liked the resulting texture of the fish. I tried your Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce recipe and really loved it. The texture is perfect and the taste is marvelous! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you very much for posting them!
Super easy. Super delicious. Will be my go-to fish recipe from now on.
That’s awesome to hear!
Do you know if you can freeze it (once prepared)?
OMG. This was incredible! There are just a boatload of “creamy lemon” sauce on line. Your writing grabbed my attention and I gave it a try. I had some nice haddock and just followed instructions which is unusual for me. Put the fish on a bed of rice, poured on the sauce and served with steamed broccoli. Incredible. My wife is not a big fish or rice person and she wiped out the plate. The 17 yr old boy who doesn’t like sauce on much of anything? Gone in 60 seconds.
I very rarely give five stars to anything. This was perfect and goes into my collection of favs!
Woah what a great compliment!! ❤️