This Lemon Butter Sauce for fish is outrageous β 3 minutes, 2 ingredients, totally restaurant worthy.
The secret is browned butter β calledΒ Beurre noisetteΒ in French. Learn how to pronounce it so you can loftily tell your family and friends βweβre having French tonight!β (But donβt tell them how simple it is?)
Restaurant-style Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish!
Great quality fish is not cheap. But worthy of investment because:
itβs good for you;
a beautiful piece of fish requires very little done to it to make a meal that youβd pay serious $ for at a fancy seafood restaurant; and
theyβre quick to cook.
And so I present to you, your new favourite posh-yet-easy-and-super-quick way with fish: Pan fried until golden then drizzled with a 3 minute Lemon Butter Sauce that youβre going to go nuts over.
The Lemon Butter Sauce
The Lemon Butter Sauce is just made with butter and lemon.Β But itβs not βjustβ butter and lemon.
ItβsΒ brown butter and lemon.
If youβre new to brown butter, this is going to change your world β itβs addictive. Brown butter is everything you love about melted butter, boosted with an incredible nutty, toasty aroma.
The French call itΒ Beurre noisette.Β The literal translation is βhazelnut butterβ, and even though hazelnuts donβt come into the equation at all, we get it. π
How to make Lemon Butter Sauce
3 minutes, 3 steps, 2 ingredients:
Melt butter;
Leave until the butter turnsΒ brown and the smell suddenly changes and becomes nutty β about 3 minutes;
Stir through lemon juice.
The recipe video is helpful if youβre a first timer to browned butter β especially the pre and post comparison.
Quick Tips
While brown butter is simple to make, if itβs on too high a heat, it can go from nutty perfection to burnt in seconds. So here are a few quick tips:
Use a silver based small skillet or pot so you can see when the butter changes colour;
Make the Lemon Butter Sauce before the fish so you can concentrate on getting it right. It stays warm for up to 30 minutes β but if you are delayed and it solidifies, it only takes 10 seconds in the microwave to melt it back to its original state; and
Donβt try to make the Lemon Butter Sauce in the same skillet as the fish β the pan will be too large.
Use sparingly β itβs rich!
And you donβt need much β this stuff is rich!Β The recipe makes slightly more than you need because running out of sauce in the middle of dinner is dismal, but in all honesty, my standard serving is 1 tablespoon of Sauce per fillet of fish.
It looks a lot browner in the bowl than it does when you drizzle it over the fish. Which is actually perfect β itβs a bright yellow Lemon colour once drizzled. π If it was just plain melted butter, you wouldnβt have that same intense deep yellow colour that you see on the plate β nor would it pool on the plate like in the photo below.
The fish fillet is pictured in this post withΒ the Kale and Quinoa Salad I published on Monday. π Keeps forΒ daysΒ in the fridge, my friends! Donβt think of it as a trendy βhealth foodβ salad. Itβs just a darn tastyΒ filling salad that just happens to star 2 superfoods. Tested and proven!
Here are a few more ideas for things to serve this fish with:
Mashed potato or mashed cauliflower (for a low carb option)
For a true indulgent restaurant experience, try Paris MashΒ β the richest, creamiest mashed potato in the world
Curried Basmati Rice β this aromatic pilaf would be terrific paired with the fresh fish flavour
A garden salad or leafy greens with French Vinaigrette or Italian Dressing
Broccoli Salad or Magic Broccoli (the best roasted broccoli ever!)
And more fish recipes!
Honey Garlic SalmonΒ andΒ Lemon Honey Glazed SalmonΒ βΒ super quick!
See all Fish recipes
Hope you enjoy! β Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish
Ingredients
Lemon Butter Sauce:
- 60 g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and finely ground pepper
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
- 2 x thin white fish fillets (120-150g / 4-5oz each), skinless boneless (I used Bream, Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp white flour
- 2 tbsp oil (I use canola)
Serving:
- Lemon wedges
- Finely chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
Lemon Butter Sauce (see video):
- Place the butter in a light coloured saucepan or small skillet over medium heat.
- Melt butter then leave on the stove, whisking / stirring very now and then. When the butter turns golden brown and it smells nutty β about 3 minutes, remove from stove immediately and pour into small bowl. (Note 2)
- Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir then taste when it has cooled slightly. Adjust lemon/salt to taste.
- Set aside β it will stay pourable for 20 β 30 minutes. See Note 3 for storing.
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
- Pat fish dry using paper towels. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then flour. Use fingers to spread flour. Turn and repeat. Shake excess flour off well, slapping between hands if necessary.
- Heat oil in a non stick skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering and there are faint wisps of smoke, add fish. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges, then turn and cook the other side for 1 1/2 minutes (cook longer if you have thicker fillets).
- Remove immediately onto serving plates. Drizzle each with about 1 tbsp of Sauce (avoid dark specks settled at the bottom of the bowl), garnish with parsley and serve with lemon on the side. Pictured in post with Kale and Quinoa Salad.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZERΒ
3 hours ago: as usual, refusing to get out of the car knowing what lies ahead β a hose down.
Curious as to why unsalted butter is called for, and then salt is added?
Thatβs a good question, I donβt use salt if I use salted butter, if itβs too salty add a little heavy cream or half & half it balances it out.
Hi Julie! It just lets you control the salt amount better π Also, unsalted is the standard in recipes so itβs easier to have that on hand. N x
Thanks for this quick and easy recipe, with precise instructions. I made it with red snapper fillets, and it turned out just super. My son said its better than having a restaurant meal ! Will surely have to have to make it again β¦.
So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Made this tonight! Iβd never made brown butter before so that was fun.
Great sauce! Nice nutty flavor and perfect amount of lemon. Thank you!
Nagiβ¦youβve done it again!!
Thanks Tinπ when I told the family we would be having grilled fish for dinner. I came straight to your site π This recipe is simple, yet so elegant. I served it with a garden salad, it was a hit.
For anyone new here, next time you want to cook something and donβt have a recipe.Just come straight to this site and search what you need. π
Oh My goodness !!! This is The BEST fish recipe we have tried ina long time . We sautΓ©ed the fish in ghee because we are keto otherwise followed recipe to the T . Yummy yummy yummy !!!
Lemon Butter Fish
Used your recipe for fresh whitefish from Lake Superior. My husband said the meal was βrestaurant qualityβ. Thanks for the detailed notes on the brown butter sauce. Excellent!
So good! Took me a little longer, more like 10min because I had the heat too low but wow! Worth the wait. Ill be more aggressive with the heat next time.
Made crispy pan fried fish with lemon sauce today. Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious and my wife this must go into the repeat folder.
This is delicious, had the sauce with pan fried barramundi fillets. Heavenly! Made a few different fish recipes from RecipeTun now, all amazing and really building my confidence with cooking and preparing fish at home.
I did it with wild caught barramundi. The fillets were a bit thick, but the flavour was glorious. Making this sauce again!
I love hearing this Megan!!! N x
How long do I cook the fish when I pan fry it with flour
For over 1 year I recvd yr rcpes and then suddenly none. Iβm an old lady living in Mx. with one son. Would it be possible for you to send me yr recipes again? I love them! Tk U.
Hi Stella, my mailing list will automatically remove a reader if the emails are sent and left unread for a period of time β just so I donβt spam someone who doesnβt want to read them! You can sign up again by entering your details on my homepage to receive my monthly newsletter π N x
Very delicious recipes
Once again β the perfect instructions made simple. Love that you explain why and how. this is the only way to cook fish
Thank you so much!!! β€οΈ N x
your recipe is amazing , I love it , but can I use arrowroot instead of flour for keto diet?
After I made this recipe, my husband asked for your phone number to call and say thank you! ha!
LADY !!! let me tell you β¦FIRST of all i love the red power heels in your corporate past β¦sooo cute β¦ANND about your dreams im soo glad you went for it!! NEXXT this meal was sooooo butter lemon slurping good !! oh my β¦im in our restaurant now β¦i was wondering could you recipe me a curry salmon soup β¦i want you to hook me up with an easy soup for my customer peeps out here in Ocoee Fl. they are STARVIN!!
Fantastic! Just had it with cod and loved this. I love things super lemony so added a touch more lemon juice, but the original recipe was amazing as well.
Fantastic! I love things super lemony so added a touch more lemon juice, but the original recipe was amazing as well.
Can you use catfish?