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!!
Mimi says
I made this today. It was delicious. I have yet to come across one recipe of yours that isn’t. Thanks for all that you do to bring us such easy, tasty, keeper recipes!
Mimi
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Mimi! Thank you – N x
miranda says
A friend bought over a bag of lemons so I have just ordered some blue grenadier and am going to make this! Oh, and the fam have requested the lemon honey glazed salmon again. It is the BEST!! hooray!!
Nagi says
Perfect! Enjoy Miranda!
Jacqui says
We cooked this tonight and it was fantastic the flavour was excellent
I really enjoy what dozer gets up to
Nagi says
Wahoo, thanks Jacqui!
Veronica Monaghan says
Nagi .. another absolute triumph of a recipe tasted spectacular thank you xxx
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Veronica, thanks so much for letting me know!!
Cathy says
Thanks for this quick and tasty recipe Nagi. I made it with monkfish last night and the leftovers reheated beautifully tonight too!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Cathy!
Maxime Nicol says
Just made this as a quick supper late after work. Really amazing and so simple!
I added a bit of dill from the garden just perfect!
Nagi says
Yum! Dill would have been perfect Maxime 🙂
Anthony Jordan says
My family loved this. I loved this! There was love all around for this. So quick and easy to make.
Nagi says
That’s so nice to hear Anthony – N x
Nikita says
Hi Nagi! This looks like a perfect weekday recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Just one question. Instead of microwaving the butter can I heat it on my stove top?
Nagi says
Sure could Nikita! (just over a low heat)
Rebecca says
This was just stunning Nagi! I used Jon Dory and served it with baked potato, corn on cob & broccolini… Wouldn’t change a thing!
Nagi says
Perfect Rebecca!
Liz says
Cooked this tonight for dinner using gem fish…..delicious and so easy…thank you Nagi❤️
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Liz, I’m so glad you loved it!
Lorraine says
Hi Nagi, this sounds delicious. I’ve gone back to see if anyone has asked, but it seems not. Have you tried or do you think it would work with chicken if it was flattened? Cheers.
Nagi says
Hi Lorraine, it definitely would! Might be nice to sear the chicken first to get a little colour and flavour 🙂
Sandie says
Hi Nagi, thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
As there are only two of us would I have to halve the sauce ingredients or would that make it too dry?
Miranda says
Hi Nagi, I was just in Coles and they have blue grenadier from NZ. Would that be ok in this dish?
Carol Wright says
Hi Miranda, here in NZ we call it hoki. I actually used this recipe for some last night and it was perfect! I did substitute fat-reduced cooking cream, and used less butter, but the flavours were divine 🙂
Eha says
Classic, simple, tasty ! Normally do not use cream but there is so little for four serves I am not going to race for yoghurt 🙂 ! Loved to have a quiet peak at you two having a snooze . . . ( PS – say thank you to your bro – all fixed it seems!)
Sherry says
Question please Nagi – what do you think if try this recipe on Scallop?
Stephanie Richards says
Does this work with halibut?
Nadine, Adirondack Mountains of New York State says
Wow! Cream in a baked fish dish! Who’da thunk it? Am looking forward to trying this recipe, I only wish we could get a fish called “monk fish” here in northern New York State, but it is very hard to find. Other fish will work fine, I am sure — hope Dozer got a couple of bites too!
Julie Hutchison says
Wow! I hate fish and this makes me want to try it.
Sharon says
I was drooling the entire time while watching this video! Can’t wait to make it this week!
Sharon says
I was drooling the entire time while watching thunder video! Can’t wait to make it this week!