Pan Fried Fish is a thing of beauty, with its beautiful crispy golden crust and juicy flesh inside. Itโs a super quick dinner because cooking fish fillets on the stove takes less than 5 minutes!
Wondering how to stop fish sticking to the pan? Itโs easy: use a heavy based skillet (doesnโt need to be non stick), heat the pan before adding oil, and most importantly โ do not move move the fish until it naturally releases from the pan!
Crispy Pan Fried Fish
I think that cooking fish on the stove is the BEST way to cook fish, especially when you invest in really good fish fillets โ or youโve caught your own! Crispy and golden on the outside โ with or without skin, though I do love shatteringly crispy skin like Crispy Skin Salmon โ and beautifully juicy on the inside. Pan fried fish is one of those things that is so quick and so good, we wonder why we donโt make it every night.
But unless you know a few little tips, you can end up with a disappointingly soggy fish fillet or, even sadder, all that golden crispy goodness stuck on the pan. So today Iโm sharing my tips to nail pan fried fish perfectly, every single time.
How to cookย fish fillets in a pan โ perfectly!
Use a heavy based skillet โ it doesnโt need to be non stick, but it needs to be aย heavy pan;
Heat the pan before adding oil;
If it sticks a bit, do not move until it naturally releases;
Pat fish dry before cooking; and
Shake off excess flour very well.
I go through each of these points in a bit more detail below. ๐
How to cook fish on the stove โ perfectly every time!
1. Use a heavy duty skillet โ it DOES NOT need to be a non stick pan! Contrary to popular belief, itโs not just about using a non stick pan. A thin, cheap non stick pan will cause the fish to be in closer and harsher contact with the stove, causingย the fish to brown unevenly in the few minutes itโs on the stove. Some crispy patches, some not so crispy ones.
Use a heavy duty skillet, like a cast iron skillet (pictured) orย a good quality, heavy non stick fry pan (I love my ScanPan, shownย in the video). It heats better, and more evenly, which really helps to get an even, golden, crispy crust.
2.ย Heat the pan first before adding the oil โ I have NEVER had problems with fish sticking to the pan since I adopted this technique. Itโs just an easy way to ensure the oil is hot enough but not too hot (a common mistake people make).
To do this, just heat a dry pan, and as soon as you see small wisps of smoke, add oil, swirl to coat base, then immediately add the fish.
3. Do not move until it releases naturally โย Most fish filletsย willย initially stick to the pan as they start to cook (unless youโre using so much oil youโre basically shallow frying them). But itย naturally releases once the surface is cooked and golden.
So give it a nudge, and if it doesnโt want to move, then it means that itโs not ready. So just leave it and try again in another 15 seconds or so!
4. Pat fish dry โ dry fish = crispier surface. Especially important for thawed frozen fish.
5. Shake off excess flour โย coat well in flour but vigorously shake off excess (too much flour = crispy crust falls off)
Love big, bold flavours?
Try this Cajun Blackened Fish โ seasoned with Cajun spices then pan fried to perfection!
Sauces for fish
With well seasoned crispy skin and juicy flesh inside, I donโt need anything more than a squeeze of fresh lemon. But I am a sauce person, so I never turn down a sauce even for fish! Here are my favourite Sauces for Fish:
Lemon Butter Sauce for fish โ this is an absolute ripper. Totally restaurant worthy, 2 ingredients, the secret is toย brown the butter;
Creamy Dill Sauce โ traditionally thought of for salmon but equally good with other fish;
Cocktail Sauce, Marie Rose Sauce, or Tartare Sauce โ recipe in this Prawn Dipping Saucesย post
Lemon Cream Sauce (see recipe notes)- A richer cream sauce with lemon;
Simple Lemon Butter Sauce* cooked with the pictured Asparagus, Peas and Beans, as pictured. Itโs really good!
The one catch with Crispy Pan Fried Fish is that it doesnโt stay crispy for that long. Once the fish cools, the surface loses crispiness.ย So eat it fresh off the stove!ย โ Nagi xx
Try these on the side:
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Dressing, French Dressing or Italian Dressing
Cauliflower Cheese โ A rich, creamy, cheesy and rib-sticking British classic
Paris Mash โ For a true fine dining experience!ย Tip: Itโs so soft and creamy, it is practically a sauce in itself.
Zucchini Fennel Ribbon Salad โ For something different!
And more fish recipes:
Crispy Pan Fried Fish
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Crispy Pan Fried Fish recipe video! The Dozer cameo is meant to be about his built-in food alarm clock, but all I can seeย is the puff of fur he leaves behind when he movesโฆ.
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Crispy Pan Fried Fish
Ingredients
- 2 thin fish fillets, around 150g/5 oz each, 1 cm / 2/5โณ thick, skin on or off (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup / 35g flour (plain/all purpose, wholemeal)
- 1 tsp paprika , optional (Note 2)
- 2 โ 3 tbsp oil, enough to mostly thinly cover base (I use vegetable or canola)
Garnishes:
- Lemon wedges
- Finely chopped parsley or dill , for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Use scrunched up paper towels to pat the fish dry on both sides. This is especially important if you are using thawed frozen fish.
- Season the fish well on both sides with salt and pepper (key!).
- Mix the flour and paprika on a plate.
- Coat fish on both sides with flour, pressing down firmly so it adheres, but shake well to remove excess. (Note 2)
- Heat a heavy based skillet (normal or non stick) over medium high heat until you see wisps of smoke. Add oil and swirl to coat the pan โ it will heat within seconds.
- Add fish โ it should sizzle straight away. Shake the pan lightly to move the fish.ย Cook for 2 minutes until golden and crisp, pressing down gently, then flip.ย Cook the other side for 2 minutes until crisp then remove.
- If itโs browning too quickly, just remove pan from the stove briefly. ย If itโs stuck, donโt move โ it will release naturally once golden.
- Serve fish immediately with lemon wedges and garnished with dill or parsley, if using. It starts to lose crispiness after 5 minutes.
Recipe Notes:
- Killer Lemon Butter Sauce โ very fine dining restaurant worthy!
- Creamy Dill Sauce
- Cocktail Sauce, Marie Rose Sauce, or Tartare Sauce โ recipes in this Prawn Dipping Saucesย post
- Simple Lemon Butter Sauce: Melt 50g/3tbsp salted butter, add 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or to taste).
- (Rich) Lemon Cream Sauce: Simmer 1/2 cup cream over medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter, zest of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. Simmer for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.ย
- Asparagus, butter beans and peas in lemon butter sauce (pictured in post): Use Simple Lemon Butter above and add 3 tbsp water. Bring to simmer, add 2/3ย cup drained canned white beans, handful of asparagus cut into 5 cm / 2โณ lengths, 1/4 cup frozen peas. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until asparagus is just cooked and liquid is thickened. Stir through 1 tbsp chopped dill, adjust salt & pepper to taste. Spoon onto plate, place fish on top. The sauce doubles as sauce for the fish.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2017.ย Updated for housekeeping matters in March 2019, no change to recipe.
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer eyeing off Crispy Pan Fried Fish packed and ready to go to the homeless manโฆ. #Shameless
Hi Nagi! Thank you so much for an easy fish recipe! I honestly never really ate fish until I got married so.. I have only cooked fish 3 times, two times were baked (fillets wrapped in foil with butter and lemon pepper seasoning) because thatโs a simple way my husband knows and loves. Ooh when I told him I was going to pan fry our silver bass he doubted me entirely! I followed your recipe exactly and thanks for the helpful tips and the quick lemon butter sauce! The fish tasted even better than I thought!! I ate it happily haha! Now I have no more fear to eat fish as long as I can fry it like this now and then. I am definitely going to use this recipe in the future! Thanks again ๐
What wonderful feedback Narcisa, Iโm so pleased to hear that, thank you! N xx
Love this, Iโm not fond of the heavy beer batter so this basic recipe works for me. I use dill and seasoning salt instead of paprika.
Iโm so pleased you enjoyed it Paige! Thank you for letting me know โ N xx
you had a extra crispy baked chicken wing recipe using baking powder , could you use baking powder on fish in a skillet , and if so in what amount ? next thing iโm going to make is your recipe!
Hi John! Sorry to say that baking powder trick only works with chicken skin ๐ N x
What type of oil do you like to use to cook fish?
Hi Amy! In all honesty, I use all types. Olive oil, vegetable, canola โ whatever I have!
Peanut oil taste the best
Iโve made this a few times now and itโs so easy and soooo good! I add a little bit of cayenne ( okay a lot of cayenne) to kick up the spice factor! Thanks for another winning recipe.
Thatโs so great to hear Taz! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for this delicious fish recipe which is simple to prepare. Thanks a lot
Thatโs fantastic to hear Andreya! Thanks for letting me know โ N xx
Hi Nagi
The silver dory fillets were cooked beautifully in our new Lodge cast iron pan. And so easy only having to use paprika and flour. Will definitely be having this again within the week.
Hi Lyn and David, I hope you both had a great weekend. Iโm so pleased you enjoyed this with Silver Dory! It was very good value at my fish shop so it was perfect to use here! N xx
Thank you for this fish recipe! I love seafood since I come from Taiwan. But even since I moved to Ohio, it is hard to find seafood around. Fish is one of the few seafood I can find here! Love to try! Is that ok if I use deep fryer instead of pan fried?
Gosh YES!!!
Big Thank you, just what I was looking for. Easy, quick, oh so yumiiii! Thank you for tips and sauce ideas. Am also using paprika. Do za didnโt like to face publicโฆ Love, love story of your dear Mum, good on her for been active. Have good w/end. Was lucky today Dear neighbour brought me last of purple bens and pomegranate from garden, also next door neighbour got at her social club home grown limes . Yes she has shared with me!
I saw your photos! Amazing! Jealous!
OMG, yes, yes, yes to the paprika mixed with the flour, I swear it makes everything taste better:) Lightly fried fish like this one reminds of summer, growing up by the Black Sea. Yum!
So glad you agree! ๐ N xx
Another super fast recipe for a quick meal!
A simple salad with lemon and herb vinaigrette are good with this. And a French baquette! Healthy, fast and Yummy
Thatโs so great to hear Makika! So glad you enjoyed it! N xx
Great recipe, Nagi, and I love it when some of my favorite food bloggers take a detour into these kind of simple preparations that a lot of us just take for granted. Itโs not a given that โeveryoneโ knows how to do these things, we all had to learn somewhere. Well done!
My favorite fish sauce has to be lemon garlic aioli, but Iโm definitely going to try your lemon cream sauce.
Thanks Sandy! I was actually concerned this might be too basic for some so I really appreciate your message! N xxโค๏ธ
Looks lovely, Nagi
I love your recipes.
Greetings from Athens Greece.
Hi Anastasia! Love hearing from readers all around this big wide world ๐ I canโt WAIT to visit Greece one of these days! N xx
Hi Nagi, this fish looks amazing. I canโt wait to try it. Could I use a different flour? Need to avoid wheat.
Hi Sharon! Another reader said that rice flour is actually a chef secret, I am keen to try it myself. Itโs used in Asian cooking for crispy pan fried and deep fried things so I am 99.99999% sure it will be great โ possibly even better. ๐
Thanks for your tipsโฆIโll report back after Iโve tried thisโฆ:) Your homeless man eats like a king!!!
And he looks after our dog park so well, he deserves it! โค๏ธ
Hi Nagi,
I love your blog, and your recipes. Your notes really do make it seem like you are in my kitchen showing me how you do things.
The Mama golf story today was a crackup! Golfers love to have someone to blame, so it might as well be her loving daughter, right? I guess she knows you can take it.
I do have a question, I would love to know how to make a balsalmic glaze, like what people drizzle over all sorts of things. I have some lovely Fig and Date Balsalmic Vinegar, and Iโm not quite sure what to do, except maybe boil it down? Anyway, any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Thanks, and keep up the great work.
Linda
BA HA HA! I cannot WAIT for her to read this message!!! Both of these recipes use a balsamic reduction, hope one of them helps! https://salesdock.info/balsamic-pork-chops/%3C/a%3E https://salesdock.info/balsamic-glazed-beetroots-beets/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks very much for the link, Nagi.
By the way, Feisty Mamas are the best, in my humble opinion๐
The provide much amusementโฆโฆ
Good day Nagi! Iโm Lyn from CT, USA. This looks great! Just a quick few questions.. doesnโt the lemon sauce curdle with the cream? I made ur fantastic side of salmon for Christmas dinner, and that sauce seperated! Was delicious without, the panko toasted was picture worthy! And can u use trout? We fish here for rainbow and brown trout, filet em up, ready for cast iron pan! We always used cornmeal, flour would coat enuf? Thanks and I Love Ur recipes! Look forward to ur posts!!
Hi Lyn! Iโm sorry the sauce curdled. I find the key is to ensure it is cooked at a lower temp and also it needs to be made with heavy / thickened cream, or at least a cream with a high fat content. Lower fat creams, like lightened cream, can curdle when lemon is added. Also, whisk whisk whisk when adding the lemon! Yes you can use trout for this recipe, anything you want! I just like making it with thinner fillets best because thereโs more crispy skin to flesh ๐ N xx
PS) I always scroll down to recipe notes first, and then Life of Dozer of course!!! Muah ๐
I LOVE HEARING THAT! ๐
Hi Nagi. Had to come back and apologize for digressing in my earlier comment. I think it has something to do with my age. ๐ As I was making the marinade for your Chinese bbq chicken a random thought hit meโฆthis fish would be great for fish tacos. What do you think?
YES YES YES! I was actually thinking of making smaller pieces and seasoning it, either Chinese style salt & pepper, or Cajun style ๐ Though with thicker pieces you need more oil to make it crispy, to avoid deep frying. Why apologising for digressing? Digressed conversations are the most amusing!!! ๐
You and your mom are so funny! This looks like the perfect bite and Iโm into the simplicity of this one. Just a squeeze of lemon on top and Iโm good to go. BTW, LOVE the ceramic breading dish. ๐
WHICH ONE??!!! The one in the video or the awful one in the photos??? ๐
The video. Love it!
Remind me to bring one back for you next time I go to Japan ๐ It was $10!!!