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!!
Surprisingly light and refreshing! Looks like a restaurant dish and is perfect fast food. Thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome ANKa!
My wife just made this, really enjoyed it, it was so simple to do, thank you
Thank you for the recipe. I made it today for the first time with Basa fish and it is very easy to make. Very good also. Will make this again for sure.
That’s terrific to hear Linda!! So pleased you enjoyed this – N x
I just made this recipe this evening and I wanted to say it is EXCELLENT!!! It’s our new favorite! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!! 🙂
That’s terrific to hear Dl!! So pleased you enjoyed this – N x
Can I triple the quantities for the Sauce? I have to bake about 50 pieces of Catfish and I realize some recipe’s cannot be altered… can this sauce be tripled in ingredients and get the same results?
Hi Ritchie! Yep this one is fine as long as you use multiple pans and don’t stack them up on top of each other, they need space so the fish cooks nicely rather than braising and the sauce has a chance to reduce 🙂
This is, hands down, the BEST fish sauce I have ever tasted!! Creamy and delicious, without overpowering the fish itself, and it is a snap to make. We liked it so much I tried making it with chicken cutlets. It was still good, but not quite the same. Came out a bit watery (probably from the liquid in the chicken), Nagi is right……the fish just adds something to the flavor of the sauce. Thank you for a fantastic recipe that is sure to be a family favorite.
This looks great and I would love to try it. I wonder why the fresh lemon does not curdle the cream though. Any thoughts?
Hi! If you add/mix lemon juice to cold or room temp cream then it’s ok 🙂 Plus there is other ingredients in this. If you add lemon to hot cream without any other ingredients then it will curdle (unless you use a thickened cream which has stabilisers in it 🙂 )
Have made this twice now checkerboarding salmon, tilapia, and jumbo shrimp in the pan. Also sprinkled with a few capers. Came out amazing. My new go-to dish for potlucks. Thank you so much for this recipe.
That’s terrific to hear Julie! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Made this last night for my family — it was FANTASTIC. Thank you, Nagi
🙌🏻
Hi, would this work with cod by chance?
YES!
I want to try this but we don’t like mustard is it an absolute necessity? Or can I leave it out?
Sorry Cherie, it’s pretty necessary in this to thicken the sauce! N x
I stumbled across your website randomly and as someone who has a hard time in the kitchen, I am VERY thankful for you and your wonderful recipes. Easy to follow, and absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!!
I’m so pleased to hear you are enjoying my recipes Britni! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
I was amazed how tasty it turned out with such simple ingredients! I even had frozen fish fillets and I was doubting if they can be tasty. But it was just fantastic! Had some potatoes and steamed broccoli as a side (their sweetness goes well together with sour lemon sauce). Like someone here said – restaurant quality! P.s. shallots give really good taste 🙂 will make to my guests 🙂 thank you!
i dont have a microwave , what can i do?
please help!!
Mine is broken now also. Just used a small pan , and heated everything gradually, not boiling, turned out great 🙂
Was excellent! I was surprised to see my local market received a shipment of fresh trout fillets this morning. Big hit with my son. Next time I might add a touch more lemon and maybe even step out and add a caper or two. I did not have any fresh shallots so substituted a bit of minced dried onion. But I understand that all may be too much with a more delicate fillet. Will definitely play with the yummy sauce. Happy new year!!
I love hearing that Julie!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N x
Hi, this recipe looks divine, but I recently had a heart attack and need to reduce fat and sodium. Can I substitute non-fat greek yogurt or maybe skim milk for the heavy cream?
Hi Teri! I’m sorry to hear about your troubles, I hope you make a speedy recovery. Unfortunately I am to sure about those substitutes, I haven’t tried it. Sorry I can’t be of more help! N x
Absolutely fantastic! Restaurant quality. Used Iodine Bream but know that this will work with any emperor or quality reef related species. Follow this recipe to the letter and you will be absolutely blown out of your seat! Thank you for such a great recipe. Troy, Cairns.
HIGH FIVE! So glad you enjoyed this Troy, thanks for letting me know! N x
O.M.G. – this is delicious! I made it at least 5 times already. One time when I tried to thicken the sauce by adding a bit of starch – was a mistake, you are looking on that wonderful thin sauce that the fish produces. Try it and you wont be disappointed!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!
I made this dish on Christmas Eve for my family, and it was a huge hit! I used salmon instead of dory or tilapia, in large part because the grocery store didn’t have fresh white fish fillets, but also because I just prefer salmon. I had to up the cooking time (thicker pieces of fish, cooked it for about 20 minutes), and I think salmon renders less juice, so the sauce was a little thicker than in the pictures here. I wasn’t sure how well the sauce would go with the salmon, but it came out delicious and my family loved it! The only other alteration I made to the recipe was that I put some lemon slices on the fish before putting it in the oven. I wanted to make it a little more lemon-y, since salmon has a stronger flavour than the fish suggested here. Awesome recipe, that sauce is to die for, yet it’s so easy to make. Highly recommended!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! Thanks for letting me know Jennifer! N xx
This was good! I used orange roughy and had a non-fish eater, a low carber, and a salmon-is-the-only-type-of-fish eater to cook for and they all loved it. I also sauteed the shallots and garlic prior to the microwave stage and put everything together in the sauce per another commenter. Thanks for the recipe!
So pleased to hear that Kris! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️