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!!
I did give this 5 stars but only 4 showed up?
Marianne
Glitch in the recipe system ? Thanks for trying though! N xx
Hi Nagi
Another winner – keep them coming please. I made this tonight and it was super easy and super delicious.
These easy, and oh so tasty, meals are just the thing for busy Mums – in fact for everyone! This one will be circulated to friends and colleagues.
I used cod and it was great!
I’m so glad Marianne! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x
I have yet to find a recipe on your website that I’ve tried and didn’t adore! This fish dish is so tasty! I did substitute evaporated milk for the cream as suggested and it worked a treat. Love the website?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Robyn, thank you for letting me know! N xx
This looks amazing, and I’m going to give it a try this weekend! When will we get the pan seared crispy fish with lemon butter sauce recipe? That also sounds awesome! (I love fish but my family can take it or leave it. I’m hoping with this lovely sauce they will change their minds!)
I hope you do try this Dawna! I will get the crispy fish on the site in a couple of weeks 🙂 Space out the fish a bit!
Thanks – another great and simple recipe! I put thinly sliced potatos underneath, covered them in half of the sauce, had them in the oven for 15 min, then added the fish on top and followed your recipe. I`m not a fan of microwaves, but the sauce can as easily be heated up in a small cooking pot. I added some lemon zest also. Quick and easy and tasty as usual 🙂
Nagi, I love your VIDEO! Not only the music is totally my taste – if all cooking videos were this quick and entertaining I would watch a lot more of them, but 95% are sooo time consuming that I give up half way. BTW, what`s wrong with your hands!? You should be glad that you don`t have Madonna`s kind (I adore her anyway), your`s look so young even though you`re a working chef :-))
Dozer is a brave dog – we had a big swell here too last weekend… it`s funny to watch dogs getting so excited with the waves rolling in 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Nikki!! Great idea to add potatoes 🙂 My hands are hideous – they are abnormally small with reverse knuckles (i.e. dimples instead of knuckles) and my friends call me Baby Hands. Rather than being embarrassed by them and not doing cooking videos, I decided I better just OWN IT!!!! Dozer is a little too brave with the waves….he regularly gets swept out and I have to go haul him back in! Ba ha ha!!!
Well Nagi, I received your post yesterday and tried the recipe yesterday evening. I had some pan seared steel-head trout that I had prepared the night before and there were leftovers. So I decided to use your lemon cream sauce which I cooked on top of the stove on medium head for about 10 minutes. I added about 1 teaspoon of super fine flour (Wondra) to thicken the sauce slightly. In a separate pan I sauteed fresh chopped asparagus and baby portabellas. I placed all including the fish in a spinach tortilla. My husband ate 4! So I am fixing it again tonight to find out what it tastes like!!! I did taste the sauce and it was sensationa. Thanks so much for the inspiration. Michellel
Ohhhh I love that Michelle! Thank you so much for sharing how you were able to use this in another way – it sounds amazing!! N x
Nagi, I’ve made a couple of your fish recipes already (your salmon with brown sugar and mustard etc several times!) and so am really excited about giving this one a go too. It sounds and looks perfect!
I really have to restrain myself from saying ‘You are a genius’ every time I visit your blog, but I do truly believe you are. 🙂
Right back at you Helen! You KNOW you’ve been an inspiration to me – some of your recipes are epic. And I LOVE all your Greek recipes!!
This is beautiful but it won’t pin.
Vicky
Thank you for letting me know Vicky! There was a tech glitch briefly yesterday 🙁 Hope you have a fabulous weekend! N x
It’s definitely easy to cook, I can’t wait to try. Thank you for the recipe and beautiful photos.
Hi Elaine, how are you? It’s been ages! I was reading one of your recipes the other day – pork belly 🙂 Researching!
Hi, I would like to make this for dinner tonight. Is it ok that I use salted butter? Thanks 🙂
Sorry I missed your message Jodie! Yep, totally fine, just don’t add salt into the sauce 🙂
Crispy skin pork belly. Oi. …. sure you didn’t mean to say oink?! Just kidding.
*Head in hands* No…..and yet, I LAUGHED!!!!
Can the sauce be made separately and poured over the fish after it’s cooked?
Hi Donna! It sure can! The only thing is that when fish is baked, it drops tasty juices and you want to mix that into the sauce because it’s got lots of free flavour – best stock in the world! 🙂
Hi Donna – it sure can! Just simmer in a small saucepan 🙂 Tip in the juice of the cooked fish too!
That sure looks fab.
Vege fish for vegetarians who eat fish?? Life for Dozer is swell, pardon the pun!
BA HA HA! You are too funny CK! 🙂
I really needed a yummy, simple fish dish for our menu rotation…and here you are!!!
Thank you… :O)
At your service! 😉 N x
Made this tonight and had to comment on how lovely the dish turned out..
The sauce is perfect for the light talapia I used..
Served along with roasted red potatoes and haricot verts, the dish made an attractive and delicious meal…
Thank you.. :O)
HIGH FIVE! N x
Well this is another must try. Your recipient are always so easy and look so tasty ( and usually are!). Btw…I have to say, I quite enjoy seeing your baby hands. I hope you dint mind me referring to them …to me , those hands are amazing at cooking up a storm!
Of course I don’t mind!!! I hate my hands but I have to laugh about them otherwise I would never do a cooking tutorial! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes, thank you Taz!
Well, Nagi, You have done it again. I have just returned from a trip to Morocco and am jet-lagged, yet this recipes makes me want to cook! Looks lovely! You tempt me far too often!
Oooh I am green with envy Victoria! Did you love it??? I was supposed to go a few years ago but had to cancel at the last minute
You knew we were having cod for dinner, that’s why you posted this, isn’t it? We do eat a lot of fish, especially since my Honey spends a lot of time fishing. I’ll have to try your recipe out!! Thank you for sharing xoxo
Marisa! I am on a fish bender at the moment – what’s your favourite way with fish? I made a lemon and caper fish last night, a recipe I saw on an old Lidia cooking show!!!
Hi, Nagi,
I wonder if I could sub yogurt for the cream. My sweet DIL cannot eat most dairy, but yogurt seems to be OK.
Thanks!
Donna
Hi Donna! I find yoghurt doesn’t thicken as well when cooked so would add an extra teaspoon or 2 of mustard and maybe 1/2 tsp of sugar to cut through the extra tartness from yoghurt and extra mustard. N x
I love fish and lemon together, and this sauce looks so perfect and really quick, my two favorite things!
Me too! 🙂 Can’t really go wrong with that combo, right? 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! What a lovely, light and creamy dish! We definitely need to start eating more fish. We eat shrimp and other seafood more often than we do fish. I love the lemony mustard sauce! One dish is an added bonus!! What gorgeous beaches you have in AU and Dozer certainly does love water sports!
I’m curious, what other seafood do you have more often than fish??? You continue to surprise me!
Hi Nagi! Well, we eat shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops and oysters quite a bit! They are all so versatile! Seafood lasagna and seafood pizza are pretty tasty, but so are steamed clams and mussels! Pan seared scallops are one of my favorites and raw and cooked oysters don’t suck either! 🙂