Dinner made real easy: on the table in 15 minutes, this Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce is all 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!
A super Baked Fish recipe with Lemon Cream Sauce
Here’s a great effortless way to cook fish in the oven which comes 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.
It’s as simple as this:
- Mix melted butter, cream, garlic, mustard and lemon;
- Pour over fish;
- Bake – no flipping required.
And out comes this – tender baked fish fillets with a beautiful lemon cream sauce, a light sauce that goes perfectly with fish!
The Lemon Cream Sauce
It took a handful of goes to get it right. As expected, getting the right sauce consistency was the main thing. Not just about adding a thickener – mustard in this case – but also heating up the sauce in the microwave before pouring it all over the fish.
The reason this makes a difference is that cold cream and mustard mixed into melted butter = thicker sauce (because the butter partially solidifies again) so more of it stays on the fish while baking.
This results in less pooling of the sauce in the baking dish which = watery sauce (i.e. ratio of sauce mixing with fish juice was lower). Fish leeches an amazing amount of liquid when it bakes. You will be surprised.
Just for clarity, this sauce isn’t thick, like gravy thick. But it’s not watery. See? 🙂
What this tastes like
The recipe implies that the sauce is rich but actually, it is not! I describe it as kind of light and fresh, yet a bit creamy. The mustard and cream are the thickener, so it isn’t watery.
It really is so delicious, 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!
Terrific quick Baked Fish Fillets
It takes longer to heat up the oven than it does to prepare this recipe. Watch the video and see! (It’s below the recipe).
Dinner on the table in just 15 minutes. Tender, juicy fish with a creamy lemon sauce. A really fantastic way to make baked fish. YUM!!!! – Nagi x
Try these on the side:
- Magic Broccoli – the best roasted broccoli ever!
- 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
- Brazilian Fish Stew
- Honey Garlic Salmon and Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon – super quick!
- Parmesan Crusted Salmon
- Homemade Baked Filet-O-Fish Burger
- Fish Pie!
- See all Fish recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Love how putting these videos together in fast forward not only means fast efficient cooking tutorials, it also means you can barely – just barely – see my Baby Hands. ???
**NOTE: Video says bake at 350F/180C, this is a typo, it works better at a higher temp of 390F/200C per recipe above.**
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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 shallots / scallions , 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 below recipe 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:
Nutrition Information:
MEAT-FREE WEDNESDAY?
Yes, here on RecipeTin Eats, it’s Meat Free Wednesday, not Meat Free Monday. Because I do my major grocery shop on the weekends (never mind that I work from home and can do it any day of the week, I can’t shake old habits), I like to have fresh-meat meals early in the week, so I typically go meat-free in the latter half.
Hence Meat Free Wednesday, not Monday. And certainly not Friday because Friday is treat day.
I started Meat Free Wednesday because partway through this year, it dawned on me that I’d completely failed on my New Years’ Resolution to share more “green” things and vegetarian dishes. So I undertook to share one Meat Free Meal For Carnivores every fortnight. 2 weeks ago today, it was this Mushroom Pasta. Before that, it was Cauliflower Chickpea Curry. You can browse my entire Meat Free Collection here.
LIFE OF DOZER
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!!
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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)?