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!!
Lauren Vink says
I made this last night using Cod and loved it. I added a little dill and extra garlic just because I love both. It would’ve been just as tasty without it. Thanks for sharing!
Robyn says
This was tonight’s dinner, served with your left over mushroom risotto from last night!! Absolutely delicious!! Was so quick and easy. I imagine the yummy sauce would also be really good on chicken?
Kate says
SO good. I did have more than the recommended amount of fish so it took closer to 20 mins to cook.
Lolo says
This sounds perfect. But, do you think I can make it with a fish that still has skin on one side (walleye). If so, would I bake it skin side up or down? Thanks.
Nagi says
Hi Lolo, if I’m eating fish skin, I like it to be crispy not blubbery so I wouldn’t recommend it for this dish sorry! You can always just take it off though! N x
Jody Pike says
Can i use chicken wings by any chance?
Loretta says
Sounds great. But, can I make this with Walleye that has the skin on?
India says
Delicious sauce , we loved this a lot !
Jerri Chessecake says
I’m sorry but we don’t buy butter i gonna try this with clover spread tell you how it turn out.
Jem says
I can’t taste this recipe highly enough, it’s so quick and easy but I’d be happy to serve it to guests too. It’s become a firm favourite. Thanks so much.
Pao says
Has anyone made this with nuts cream? Almon or macadamia cream? Trying to minimize the dairy products
Nagi says
Hi Pao, I’m sure it would be fine – it would simply change the flavour a little. N x
Michele hawks says
made this dish MANY times with diffferent types of fish and have always been complimented on the light yet filling results!
Bev Wilson says
Hello Nagi Can I use long life whipping cream ?
Anwesha Basu says
Can this recipe be made with Giant-river Catfish?
Nagi says
Hi Anwesha! You can make this with any type of fish suitable for eating, as long as the pieces aren’t too giant! Make them individual portion size so it cooks through in the time specified in the recipe 🙂 N x
Anwesha Basu says
Thanks a lot. I’m going to try making it this week.
TomNelson says
I made this today. Lovely easy recipe but very tasty. I had it with mashed potatoes and wilted spinch. It will be a regular with me from now on. Thanks so much Nagi.
Elaine says
I’ve made and shared this recipe many times and it turns non-fish eaters into lovers. Tonight NYE I’m doing it with fish lobster and shrimp. I added some Old Bay. Cilantro lime rice and Brussels sprouts.
Sarah says
Big winner. Kids inhaled their fish and my fussy fish eater husband loved it. Thanks Nagi!
Deana Lawson says
Has anyone tried this using pork loin chop.
Quirquie says
I have not yet tried pork, but I have used boneless skinless chicken thighs and it was perfect!
Nur says
Had to give 5 stars, it was my first time making a fish dish. Loved this recipe (still do) my family still speaks about it from the time I made it. I didn’t have cream so I used the butter-milk cream substitute and it came out beautifully as well…. It was honestly just perfect…
Michelle Clark says
This was fabulous! My mom has dysphagia & everything she eats has to have a sauce or gravy because she can’t swallow on her own. This was a great dish & it went down easily for her. Definitely will be a regular meal from now on!
Nagi says
Oh I love hearing this Michelle, thanks so much for the feedback!! N x
Julie Mendoza says
Thank you for a delightful recipe. I made it exactly as written and it was perfect. My family loved it. We stood around the pan with spoons and scraped up every last bit of sauce and fish. It hit all the marks for ease of preparation, time-saving and most importantly deliciousness.