Dinner made real easy: 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 sauce is especially delish because the juices of the fish mingles in with it while it’s baking. It’s like a sauce made with the best stock ever!
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
- Fresh Lemon Potato Salad or Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes
- Potatoes au Gratin, Easy Creamy Potato Casserole or Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
- Mushroom Rice, Kale Garlic Butter Rice or Tomato Basil Rice
And more fish recipes:
- Crispy Pan Fried Fish – also try this Killer Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish!
- Brazilian Fish Stew
- Honey Garlic Salmon and Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon – super quick!
- Homemade Baked Filet-O-Fish Burger
- Fish Pie and Fish Chowder!
- See all Fish recipes
Watch how to make it
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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)
- 50 g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy / thickened cream (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 finely chopped eschallots , white part only (Note 3)
- Fresh parsley and lemon slices , to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C / 390F (all ovens).
- 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!!
The sauce is excellent! I’ve even used it on top of seared chicken breasts. I tossed in a handful of capers. Hands down it’s the best.
It’s so versatile isn’t it Sherry!! I’m so glad you enjoy it 🙂
Another winner… I made this last night, and it was delicious. I used red cod, which fell apart in the baking tray (probably a slightly thinner fish than the ones you suggested). However, this wasn’t an issue – my husband thought that this had been deliberate. Served over mashed potatoes and with corn on the cob on the side.
Next time – I think I’ll up the mustard and lemon slightly, and will probably grate in some lemon zest (I didn’t have fresh lemons, so had to use juice from a bottle *sigh*)
This is going straight onto the ‘quick and easy’ favourites list 🙂
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it Jo – you might finding fresh lemons will help with that little boost you are after ❤️
This sauce was an absolute game changer….so delicious!! I made one minor substitution by using fresh dill instead of parsley, Served the fish with basmati rice. Thanks for a great recipe.
Dill works so well with lemon and fish, a great sub! N x
Dear Nagi,
I just wanted to say that I have only recently come across your site and I’m so glad that I have!
I’ve cooked several of your recipes now and each one has been spot on. This particular dish is so simple and yet sooo yum!
Thank you for all of your hard work with the recipes, tips, videos and most importantly, the updates on Dozer. You make a very novice cook like me seem competent 😊.
I’m so glad you found me Kirsty!!
made this dish with haddock fillets, was very tasty and an easy recipe to following. cooked it for my mum and sister and they loved it thank you
That’s awesome Bray!
I have cooked this few times now for my family. They love it and I especially love it because it’s so easy and tasty! One of my fav fish dish. Thanks for sharing
Its wow .. the best fish recipe ever.. all my family and kids loved it .. thank you
What a compliment! Thanks so much Reem!
Quick, easy and so tasty. This is our new favourite recipe.
I’m so glad you love it Sherry!
Has anyone tried this recipe using yellow fish tuna? Any tips would be appreciated
Absolutely delicious! You have taught me how to bake fish!
I’m a beginner cook so quick and easy meals are my bread and butter (hehe…) and I also tend to eyeball ingredients (eh, what’s 1tbsp, what’s 2 in the grand scheme of things…)
This recipe turned out delicious even though I unintentionally tweaked it and got a thick mustardy sauce rather than a lemony one. Now I can experiment to my heart’s content and still have something really good!
Thank you so, so much!
Diana
That’s lovely to hear Diana!!
When my husband told me he was coming home with fresh, line caught snapper, I knew I wanted to do something a little bit different than Ye Olde Crumbed Fillet (which is still fab and hard to go wrong with, but…) and then this.
THIS.
Is MAGNIFICENT. So simple, so quick, sooooooooooo tasty. I’m not even mad I needed to make a 10 minute round trip to the supermarket to buy a shallot (and more cream!), this was beyond spectacular. Not only did we lick our plates clean, the baking dish got a very thorough going over as well. Every. Last. Bit.
10/10, would definitely recommend 😀
That’s awesome Chris!!!!
Goes without saying, another fantastic recipe Nagi, but as a local, Jimmy’s Beach, beautiful but notorious for sharks and shark attacks. Aww be careful Dozer. Love, love , love your recipes. Happy NY, don’t stop what you’re doing, bringing joy to so many.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Deborah!
Perfect, simple and utterly delicious!
That’s great to hear, thanks so much for letting me know Shai!
It turned out delectable! The whole family were impressed! Thanks, Nagi, for your fantastic taste buds! 😍
Made this with the tomato basil rice and it was amazing, they complemented eachother really well. Thank you Nagi xo